


The Christmas Chalet

by xSophie2x



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: (Cliche I know), And baking cookies, Christmas, Christmas Presents, Christmas Tree, Christmas chalet, Finding Love, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Divorce, In times of holidays, Liam and Mason are roommates, Liam's a photographer, Like Christmas dinner, M/M, No inspiration, Other Christmas activities, Referenced Break-up, Shower Together, Theo's a writer, Writer's Block, double-booked, house-sharing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:07:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 43,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21595081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xSophie2x/pseuds/xSophie2x
Summary: Liam loves his job as a photographer and Christmas, but a recent break-up makes his life a little harder than it needs to be. When his boss has a new job for him in a small town, he hesitates whether he should go. Mason convinces him to go, being the good friend and roommate he is, and they turn it into a Christmas celebration while Liam does his job.When they get to their booked Christmas chalet, though, they don't expect it to find double-booked, the other renting done by Theo, a single writer with one published book. And of course, all of the other Christmas chalets are already booked too.
Relationships: Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken, Past Liam Dunbar/Brett Talbot
Comments: 44
Kudos: 42





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LI0NH34RT](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LI0NH34RT/gifts), [manonisamelon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/manonisamelon/gifts), [ThiamHarpy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThiamHarpy/gifts).



> Thiam and Christmas... Only two best things :)  
> I can't promise how fast this story will update. But it's for Christmas and I like that, so why not?  
> This story is based on the trailer for a Christmas movie that I liked, but since the movie isn't out yet I gave it a twist of my own. Here's the trailer if you're interested in watching: [A Christmas Chalet](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAdNMdwF_CU)  
> I hope you like it. Enjoy! :)

# ‘Liam… You’re gonna be late for work.’

Liam bit his lip to stifle a soft groan, forcing himself to open his eyes underneath the darkness of his blanket and was flooded with unwelcome memories as soon as he woke up at Mason’s voice.

He wished he didn’t have to go. But he knew he had to, glad that Mason warned him before he actually overslept.

He shuffled around in bed, peering past the edge of his bedcovers to see his roommate standing in the middle of the room between all the clothes on his floor, until he sat up in bed against his pillows and pulled up his legs against his chest.

Mason sighed, raising his eyebrows. ‘You have got to clean up,’ he started wearily. ‘What even is all this?’ he asked, gesturing to the dirty laundry surrounding him.

A soft sigh slipped past Liam’s lips, he rested his chin on his knees and wrapped his arms around them. ‘I know, I know,’ he mumbled, staring down at the bed to avoid Mason’s gaze. ‘I’ve just been… A little distracted.’

It stayed silent for a moment, before Mason let out a soft sigh. Liam glanced up at him, the memories of what he didn’t want to think about burning in his head even before this conversation. He figured he might as well accept them now, even if just the thought of them made him want to crawl back under the covers.

‘I know,’ Mason said, sympathy lacing his voice. ‘I know breaking up with Brett just before the holidays is the least ideal thing,’ he continued, nausea at the boy’s name making Liam’s stomach turn, ‘But: cleaning up and taking care of yourself in a way that you can control will actually make you feel better.’

He grinned, and Liam didn’t have to wait for him to continue to know what he was gonna say. ‘So: get out of that bed and get to work!’

He clapped his hands, getting Liam to move and take action, and Liam bit his lip at the movement and rested his chin on his knees, trying and failing to hide the grin that appeared on his face. Mason chuckled, ‘There you go. I’ll wait downstairs for you with breakfast,’ and Liam sighed, stepping out of bed. He gathered the biggest pile of clothes up from the floor, throwing them onto his bed instead to sort through them a little.

Carefully, he sniffed under the sleeves of some of them, throwing aside the ones he decided could do with a wash, before giving up and telling himself to put them all in the laundry after he got home from work. Hurriedly, if he didn’t want to be late, he pulled some clothes out his wardrobe, sighing as the movement caused the neatly folded pile to topple over as well. With a frown he stared down at the clothes on the floor, hesitating for a moment, before deciding to clean that up later as well and quickly making his way to the stairs.

Walking down the stairs, he could already smell the delicious eggs and bacon that Mason had cooked, the way only he could, and his stomach rumbled as he walked into the kitchen. He paused in the doorway, surprised with his eyes on Corey, the other boy leaning against the kitchen counter.

‘That’s the earliest I’ve seen you here,’ Liam commented, a smile playing at his lips as he stepped into the room and poured a cup of coffee for himself.

Corey grinned, taking a sip. ‘Hmm, well, you’re not the only one who can’t resist Mason’s cooking,’ he chuckled, pressing a kiss to his boyfriend’s cheek as he walked by. Liam bit his lip at the sight, his heart throbbing a little as he remembered that he used to have exactly that.

‘I should’ve known that’s the only reason you like me,’ Mason joked and Liam shook his head with a smile, mumbling a quick thanks when Mason pressed a plate with toast and egg in his hands. After a quick bite, eating half of his toast and drinking half of his coffee while keeping his eyes on the clock on the opposite wall, and put down his plate on the counter.

‘I gotta run!’ he called, already making his way to the hallway to shoot on his shoes and coat.

‘Bye Liam!’ came Mason and Corey’s response before he pulled the front door shut behind him and climbed in his car, the lack of the cheerful presence from his friends enough to make the memories of Brett come back to him, the numb ache in his chest that had replaced the sharp hurt from before returning as he drove onto the main road.

*****

‘So, Liam…’ his boss, Lydia Martin, started as she sunk down in her chair, placing her coffee mug and their previous magazine on her desk. She looked up at him. ‘Your photos from your previous assignment for our magazine turned out really well, I’ve heard many positive reactions about the nature getaways you’ve captured.’

Liam smiled, his heart beating faster at the compliment. He’d liked that assignment, getting away in the peaceful quiet of the mountains for a bit for his job, a warm feeling in his chest.

‘However,’ Lydia continued, turning more serious, and Liam straightened his back, immediately feeling alert with the change of subject. ‘I have noticed you’ve gotten a little distracted after you came back.’

Liam’s stomach dropped, swallowing and wincing a bit at the subject. _Brett_ … He thought with his chest constricting slightly, their break-up not having been long after that job.

Lydia leaned forward, leaning her elbows on her desk and narrowing her eyes. It looked a bit like she could see right through him, she was intelligent like that and sometimes, in times like these, Liam hated that quality of her. She smiled. ‘Anything you want to tell me?’

Liam stayed silent, the hesitation washing over him. Lydia was his boss, you weren’t supposed to discuss these sort of things with your boss, aside from the fact that he also wasn’t sure if he wanted to talk about it. But she was also sort of his friend, their team at the magazine was definitely pretty close.

He sighed. ‘That was when Brett and I broke up,’ he managed, the words leaving a sour taste in his mouth. It didn’t hurt nearly as much to talk about as after it just happened, but that didn’t mean he liked to talk about it. Despite that, though, he knew that he got a little stronger each day, slowly getting over the other boy.

Lydia bit her lip, a frown settling on her face in sympathy for Liam. ‘Well,’ she said, leaning back in her chair. ‘That certainly explains something. I’m sorry. But I’ve got a feeling that you’ll like your next assignment. It’s perfect for a little cheer and distraction.’

Liam stared at her, perking up at her words, as he waited for her to elaborate. Lydia grinned, always liking the attention that was directed at her. Maybe that was what made her such a good boss, journalist and saleswoman.

She stood up, pulling a binder from the cabinet behind her. ‘You will go… To Beacon Hills,’ she started, reading from what it said in her document. ‘It’s a small town, but one that celebrates Christmas big, think massive decorations, Christmas trees, presents, the works. The whole town comes alive during the holidays, it was Kira’s idea. And we need pictures. Lots of them.’

Lydia looked up from the binder, her lip curling up slightly as she caught the frown on Liam’s face. He hesitated, his mind racing at the description she’d given him. _A whole town? That revolved around Christmas? How did that even work?_

‘I know what it sounds like,’ Lydia started, interrupting his thoughts and sitting down again. ‘But I’ve got a feeling that something like that will be popular, and we can’t go through the holidays without at least making some article or report on it.’

Liam nodded, understandingly. Every other magazine always did something around the holidays as well, if they had something original it would only work in their favor.

‘I get it if you don’t want to do this job,’ Lydia continued. ‘In which case I will send one of our other photographers, even if none of them is as good as you.'

Liam grinned, unable to hold back the soft snort escaping his lips as he saw what she did there, with her trying to get him to go to Beacon Hills with her attempt at flattering him.

‘You don’t have to decide right now,’ Lydia concluded. ‘All I’m asking is that you think about it. And then I hope I will get your answer tomorrow.’

She smiled and Liam nodded, biting his bottom lip. ‘So… What kind of article would this be?’ he asked, the hesitation about going and how cool this would be still in his mind, needing the extra information to come to a proper decision.

‘We’re thinking of promoting the town as a Christmas getaway for the holidays this year,’ Lydia explained, and Liam nodded.

He would have to think about it, he knew. Technically, it sounded like a very nice assignment, even if the description of _Christmas town_ seemed to be a bit much. He’d genuinely always loved Christmas, though this year the plans he had already made for the holidays were a little different than what he usually did. It was quite a big change of plans, he admitted, he felt thankful that a decision right here and then wouldn’t have to be made as that just wouldn’t do.

‘I’ll think about it,’ he said honestly, looking up and fully intending to take this home, even though he knew that in Lydia’s book _I’ll think about it_ simply just meant _yes_.

‘Okay,’ she smiled, leaning back in her chair satisfied. ‘That’s all for now, I think. I’m looking forward to hearing your answer tomorrow. Though if you have any more questions, you know how to reach me.’

Liam nodded, her last sentence signaling to him that their conversation was over. He stood up, walking out of his boss’ office to go back to the work he was doing before he was called in, smiling at the Christmas tree in the corner of their office that was already there, and the other, smaller Christmas decorations surrounding it. Though his mind raced with details and what to do’s and hesitation for this new assignment.

*****

After a long day, a lot of busy work, Liam was eager to get home, a little tired too. Tuesday was pizza day for him and Mason, very simple where they invited Corey over, and as Liam couldn’t deny that he felt a little tired, his eyes a little droopy, he couldn’t wait to hang around in front of the TV lazily with his two best friends and a box of pizza.

Driving home, his mind still spun with Lydia’s assignment, hesitation still lingering in the back of his mind as he wondered if it was really a good idea to go.

When he got home, climbing out of the car and going inside the house, he found Mason in the kitchen just loading their pizza’s onto the plates, and Corey, unsurprisingly, in the living room setting up their movie.

‘I was worried you weren’t gonna come home on time,’ Mason said with a grin, walking into the living room with his hands full. ‘We would’ve eaten your pizza if that happened.’

Liam gasped, falling on the couch. ‘You wouldn’t!’

‘I mean, he’s not wrong,’ Corey chuckled, sinking down on the couch and turning on the simple comedy movie he’d picked out for them, as none of them liked anything complicated after the long days all three of them had. ‘Pizza wins it over you every time.’

Liam snorted softly, not replying to Corey’s joke that he couldn’t even be mad about, instead taking a bite from his pizza and letting out a content sigh. He leaned heavily against the back of the couch, relaxed, and it wasn’t until halfway through the movie that Mason carefully knocked against Liam’s side with his elbow, changing the subject as he asked: ‘How was work today? Did Lydia say anything about your mountain getaway pictures?’

Immediately, Liam was flooded again with the memories of the new job his boss had given him, gesturing to Corey to pause the movie before turning to his friends. ‘She liked them,’ he said, a brief grin appearing on his face. She called me the best photographer she had,’ he laughed as Mason and Corey snorted at that, but paused as his smile faded again. ‘She gave me a new assignment as well.’

‘Oh?’ Mason asked, straightening his back. ‘What kind? What does she want you to do?’

Liam stayed silent for a moment, before relaying the story to his friends of how she asked him to go to Beacon Hills to promote it as a Christmas getaway, to take pictures of it and show the love of the town for Christmas.

He looked up, a small smile tugging at his lips at the thought of the job. ‘I think… I would like to go,’ he admitted, a careful smile playing at his lips, feeling lighter now that he’d said it. ‘I know it’s not what we planned this year, but I do really like Christmas, and…’

‘No, stop,’ Mason interrupted him, determinedly. ‘You mean it’s not what you planned,’ he said, earning a nod from Corey in agreement.

‘I, however, will not sit by and watch you go and mope around this Christmas just because it’s the first you’re not spending with Brett.’

Liam flushed, his throat closing up at the sudden mention of his ex-boyfriend. Mason sighed softly, smiling.

‘I mean, you’ve been doing so well lately,’ he continued. ‘Don’t go back on that now. It’s Christmas. If you wanna go, just go. I think it’s sounds like a really cool assignment.’

A breath of relief spilled past Liam’s lips, taking a pressure off his shoulders that he didn’t even know was there, his heart racing in his chest. ‘Really?’ he asked.

‘Yeah!’ Corey chimed in cheerfully. ‘How often is it that you get to spend Christmas somewhere other than your house? I think it could be cool, getting to sort of enjoy the Christmas spirit while doing your job. And maybe if Lydia would be okay with it you stayed a little longer, if you pay for your cabin yourself.’

Liam remained silent, biting his lip as he let the words sink in. _Enjoying the Christmas spirit… Almost like a mini-vacation, for two weeks maybe, Christmas till new year’s. That sounded… Good._

And Mason was right, he held himself back with his plans that other people wouldn’t even consider holiday plans, just because it was so tough to face the fact that this was his first Christmas without Brett in three years.

Before he could reply, though, Corey continued: ‘And, hey, why don’t we all go? ‘I’m sure if the three of us each pay a part of the rent and you make sure to give her the photos of the trip, she won’t have too much of a reason to have a problem with it.’

Liam hesitated, wondering if Lydia would approve of it and whether he even wanted to spend Christmas somewhere else when he could just be gone for three days and then return to spend Christmas here with his two best friends.

But then he caught Mason’s eyes sparkling, Corey looking hopeful, and he couldn’t deny that it sounded pretty good. Spending the holidays in a town that served as a Christmas getaway, renting a vacation cabin, was something they’d never done before, but Liam usually thought there nothing wrong with trying new things. Taking a break, getting away and doing things differently this year, sounded pretty damn amazing.

He chuckled, leaning against the couch again and nibbling on his slice of pizza. ‘I’ll go ask her tomorrow, okay?’ he laughed softly, at Mason and Corey’s soft cheering in response without making an actual promise they could go. He didn’t know it yet, but he hoped Lydia would say yes.

Suddenly, the holidays seemed a lot more exciting, and he didn’t know why he ever doubted the assignment.

*****

Liam wasn’t surprised. He guessed he should’ve expected it when Lydia said they could all go.

He’d tried to convince her, knowing his boss liked it when someone made a convincing case and seemed determined enough to try and make something out of it, and told her the same thing Corey had told him.

‘All three of us will pay for a part of the rent of the chalet, making it more affordable for us, for two weeks starting this weekend, and stay there until new year’s,’ he explained. ‘I will take as many pictures of the town as I can, and email them to you during our stay.’

Lydia remained silent, nodding slowly with her eyes narrowed in thought as she tapped her finger on her chin. ‘Hmm,’ she started quietly, leaning forward. ‘So what you’re saying is… You want to have vacation, during work time?’

Liam bit his lip smiling, having anticipated already that this question might come. ‘I will still send you all the pictures I take, the most of them during the first three days I was supposed to be staying there,’ he assured her. ‘While I do that, I see no reason why I couldn’t enjoy the holidays there myself. I have to go out for the photos anyway, so it’ll basically go automatically.’

Lydia stayed silent for a moment, leaning back in her desk chair with her arms crossed and staring at him. She pressed her lips together tightly, Liam could see in her eyes how she took her time to come to a decision, his heart beating rapidly in his chest in nervous anticipation.

Then she leaned forward, resting her elbows on her desk. ‘The chalet you were gonna stay in is already booked and paid for for the first three that you were gonna stay there, courtesy of the office. What you do for the two weeks after that isn’t really in my control anymore, if you and your friends want to split the rent and stay there longer, then you should surely do that. There isn’t much I can do to keep you from doing that. It’s your money, and so it’s your decision.’

Liam felt a wide smile forming on his face, a grin that he didn’t bother hide. ‘Thank you,’ he managed and Lydia gave a nod, a happy feeling settling in Liam’s stomach.

‘It’s work and a vacation for you combined,’ she replied, smiling proudly of herself. ‘I know a good deal when I see one.’

At that, Liam chuckled, nodding to her once more before standing up and leaving her office to go back to his own desk. As soon he had, he dug his phone out of his pocket with grabby hands and sent a text to Mason and Corey.

 **Liam:** _Looks like we’ll be going to Beacon Hills!_

He smiled down at his screen, and it didn’t take long before his phone buzzed, signaling a reply.

 **Corey:** _I knew it! Yess!_

 **Mason:** _Yeah! Christmas in a chalet! Awesome_

Liam grinned, texting a single happy smiley emoji back before putting his phone away again, and going back to work.

*****

‘Theo…? Theo, do you get it?’

Theo looked up, blinking slowly and tuning back into reality after the news he’d gotten before focusing on Derek again, the other man sitting across from him. With a frown on his face he studied Theo’s expression, a hint of concern visible in his eyes.

‘Yeah,’ he managed quietly, forcing the word past his lips. ‘Yeah, I got it.’

Truthfully, he really did get it. He’d understood his problem for a couple months now ever since his publisher sitting on the other side of the desk had sat him down and carefully explained the problem to him. Since then, he reminded Theo of their talk every time it became clear he had no new ideas yet, and each time with a little more urgency.

‘The thing is, Theo,’ Derek continued with a sigh. ‘Your previous book has sold so many copies, and did so well, that the publishers would like to see what your next book could do. But… We can’t really do that if there’s no book.’

‘I know!’ Theo roared, interrupting with a nod, and really, he did know. He did know what Derek was talking about. His previous book, a horror book with a shocking plot twist had flown off the shelves and to be honest, he couldn’t deny that he hadn’t been happy with his share of the money that he had made with it either. But that was almost a year ago, and since then his head had been terribly and painfully empty. It was almost like he was empty, completely done and dusted after just one book.

He averted his gaze, staring down at his lap where he fumbled with his slightly trembling hands.

Derek sighed across from him, leaning forward to him over his desk. ‘Look,’ he started, his voice laced with more sympathy than anything Theo had ever heard from him, anything he was used to from the other man. ‘I know you’ve been through a lot,’ he said, Theo’s breath catching in his throat at the words, ‘And I understand how hard it is to come up with a new that’s fresh and original. And so…’

Theo looked up, wondering where this talk was going.

‘Why don’t you take some time off, you know, clear your head and gather some ideas for your new book that way to try and get it started?’ Derek concluded, looking back at Theo expectantly.

Theo barely managed to contain his scoff at the suggestion, a soft snort escaping his lips. ‘What?’ he asked, incredulously. ‘Like a vacation, you mean? Why would I do that?’

He couldn’t deny that he didn’t want to do that, that it was about the last thing he wanted to do, a voice in the back of his mind already fighting the mere idea of it. He just wanted to stay here and keep working, because how could going somewhere else help him with suddenly getting a new book idea?

Derek just smiled, unsurprised with his reaction. ‘I think that’s what it could be called yeah,’ he responded. ‘We think it could be beneficial,’ he explained, the words in Theo’s head translating to the fact that the people he worked with for so long didn’t want to work with him anymore, the thought of it settling an icy cold feeling in his chest. ‘Since you can’t really push anything that doesn’t work anyway,’ Derek explained further. ‘That’ll never end in the result you want.’

Theo remained silent at the words, deep down knowing that they were true, even if he didn’t want to admit to them yet. He bit his lip, looking down.

It was true had he had been tired, and tense, even more so lately, the tension seemingly having settled in his shoulders permanently. He could pretend he wasn’t, but the truth was that he knew exactly what caused him to feel that way. It was the same thing that made him have trouble going to sleep at night, sometimes lying awake and frustrated for hours, and it was always there lingering in the back of his mind, like a constant nagging voice of what he had lost.

‘So a vacation then, huh?’ Theo asked, looking up with a bitter smile tugging at his lips. ‘What do you have in mind?’

He knew that he’d rather stay here, and be home, working on something new. But he could see how that might not be the best thing to do, seeing as it wasn’t even really working out properly for him now.

Derek sighed softly in thought. ‘I think… Somewhere quiet could work best for you, you know,’ he said, sending Theo a quick sympathetic look as his face fell. ‘Somewhere you can get a little rest.’

If he was honest, Theo didn’t see how that would work. He couldn’t even get rest in his own home, why would he somewhere else?

‘With the holidays coming up the publishing agency is gonna take it slower too, I’m sure I can convince them to give you a little more time still. That won’t be a problem,’ Derek continued. ‘Just… Take it easy. don’t push yourself too hard,’ he said quietly, sending him a small smile.

‘I don’t like the holidays,’ Theo responded looking up, something he knew Derek already knew about him.

‘And I’m not asking you to celebrate them,’ was Derek’s simple reply.

Theo stayed silent, only letting out a small huff and processing Derek’s words. He knew better, though, than to argue with what Derek wanted and instead simply having to agree with it.

‘Okay,’ he muttered,’ leaning back in his chair. ‘Okay, I’ll look into it.’

Slowly he made move to stand up, stepping aside closer to the door and Derek followed his lead, standing up as well.

‘I can help you find someplace to stay, if you need it,’ he offered finally, before Theo could walk away.

He looked up, over at Derek. ‘No, no, that’s fine,’ he managed, past the lump in his throat. ‘I got it. But thanks.’

Derek nodded shortly, a sign of his faith in Theo, and Theo pushed the glass door open harshly, returning to his own desk where he would be until it was time to go home. He ignored the looks of the other office employees, something heavy and uneasy pulling in his stomach, the icy feeling from earlier growing stronger in his chest, as he couldn’t shake the feeling that they all just wanted him gone.

*****

When Theo came that night, a little more than exhausted after the day he'd had, it was to his cold and dark apartment the way he'd left it locked after leaving that morning.

With a sigh he dropped his work bag on the floor next to his feet and looked around the bare living room, furnished expensively and minimalistically, but with only a minimum of decorations.

Normally, he loved his apartment, living alone and being able to come home after a long day and just be, and do whatever you wanted. But right now, it just felt horribly cold and empty, missing the company of someone else.

With a sigh, Theo shuffled forward and turned on the light and the heat, enveloping his living room in the bright light and new warmth. He sunk down on the couch, thinking back on his talk with Derek today.

He still felt bad knowing things had come to the point where he had to take a break, suggested by his coworker even. He didn't want to go, but if that was what everyone wanted.

Theo glanced over to his fireplace, grabbing the framed picture from the mantle that stood there and studying it with a frown.

What he'd said to Derek about Christmas today, wasn't entirely true. He hadn’t always hated Christmas, vaguely, in the back of his mind, there were blurry memories of happier times spending Christmas with his family that he couldn’t even really recall if he tried. But that was years ago, those happy times all stopped after his sister Tara died. Since then, all he had were memories of how her death poisoned his parents’ marriage, increasing the amount of times they fought and things didn’t work out for them anymore until eventually, inevitably, they ended up getting divorced two years back. Since then, Theo spent Christmas home alone, having been estranged from his parents. He always made a point in it to avoid the holiday cheer of the rest of the city, staying indoors. 

Theo stared at the picture of him and Tara, laughing together about something on it that he couldn’t even remember what it was no, taken years back. A soft, shaky breath escaped his mouth at the sight, placing the picture back on the mantle a bit harder than he'd intended, frustratedly, and could just stop it from toppling over. 

Frustratedly, Theo sat down at his dinner table, putting down his laptop in front of him and starting it up, doing what Derek asked of him earlier and looking up a vacation cabin for him to quietly escape to for a week or two. 

Cabin after cabin he stumbled across, none of which he deemed good enough for him, most of them either too expensive or not big enough for him. He was aware of the contradictions between those two demands, and yet he wouldn’t stop searching, yawning and continuing when it turned later and later and the winter sky turned pitch black outside. 

Until he came across a good nice-looking cabin that seemed a little bigger than it needed to be for just one person, with a reasonable price, in a small town called Beacon Hills. Theo had never heard of it. 

He clicked on the information, indulging himself it and reading it as thoroughly as he could, until he decided he couldn’t anymore, was too tired to. 

With a few quick clicks of his mouse and payments to make, he booked the chalet for himself for about a week and a half, starting this weekend.


	2. Chapter 2

# For nearly three days, there hung the amazing sound of Christmas music around the house, echoing against the walls of Liam and Mason’s apartment as they packed bags for their two-week trip. Every now and then Corey would come by, insisting on stuffing some groceries that he had bought in their refrigerator for the first day they would be there and for on the road, until Mason grew tired of it and laughed: ‘You know that we can probably do groceries there too, right? You don’t have to literally take everything.’

Corey coughed, chuckling. ‘It’s for the road!’ he exclaimed. ‘It’s a long drive down there.’

Mason chuckled, shaking his head and turning away. ‘Snacks for the road are important, you’re right there, but I don’t think we can take everything.’

Corey nodded, ‘I like to be prepared, is all,’ he said, before leaning against the counter and filling the coffee machine to make fresh new coffee for the three of them. ‘So,’ he continued crossing his arms. ‘Leaving tomorrow morning, are you excited?’ ‘I am,’ Liam commented, coming in from the living room and dropped his weekend bag on the floor next to the tiny two-seat table. He hopped on it, smiling. ‘Lydia sent me some pictures of the chalet and it looks amazing. There’s a lot of woodwork and a warm vibe, and like three bedrooms!’

‘Wow,’ Mason replied sounding impressed, pouring the coffee in cups for the three of them and handing them over. ‘Then it really is a reasonable price, isn’t it? I doubt your office will rent the most expensive chalet.’

Liam nodded, taking a sip and relaxing at the hot drink, dropping his shoulders contently. He truly was excited for their trip, when they’d decided to drive out on Saturday morning the feeling had only grown. If everything went alright, they would arrive later in the afternoon that day and have dinner before settling in.

Liam couldn’t wait, buzzing with excitement for their trip.

'How late are we gonna leave tomorrow?' Corey asked, sipping his coffee.

'Ten A.M.' Mason responded. 'Liam and I will load the last of the stuff in the car tonight so we can leave rightaway.'

Corey nodded, a smile playing at his lips, and Liam couldn't help but do the same. 'I can't believe we're really going guys,' he said with a wide grin. 'It's so awesome!'

Mason nodded, chuckling. 'We shouldn't forget the necessities,' he laughed. 'Like Christmas sweaters!' he exclaimed, earning a push against his shoulder from Corey.

'Mason!' he gasped. 'And then you say I'm the lame one for getting us prepared!' he exclaimed.

Mason snorted. 'Christmas sweaters are not lame! Tell him Liam!'

Liam grinned, hopping off the table. 'They're a little lame,' he said, chuckling at Mason's offended gasp. 'But in a good way.' Mason knew he loved Christmas sweaters. It was about the first thing he'd packed, currently not having one, but two sweaters at the bottom of his bag that he was definitely going to wear. And anyone else didn't have a choice in it either.

Corey grinned, shaking his head hopelessly, before they finished their coffee and went back to packing. The Christmas music played on in the background, some songs that played definitely deserving to be danced to by them, and it wasn't until it began to turn dark outside, that they were finally done.

*****

It was already light as they left the next morning, and yet, it was still too early for Liam to be awake. He yawned, throwing his, Mason’s and Corey’s weekend bags in the back of the car and Mason grinned, nudging him in the side with his elbow.

‘Try to stay awake, yeah?’ he laughed.

Liam rubbed his eyes, blinking blearily. ‘Can’t make that promise,’ he muttered, leaning against the side of the car grumpily.

‘Well, then, you’re in luck,’ Corey’s voice sounded from the other side of the car, the boy walking around it holding a cup of coffee in his hand. ‘On the way here, I got this! Here, your favorite.’

He smiled and Liam yawned, slowly taking the cup from him and taking a first sip. Mason smiled. ‘You’re the best babe,’ he said quietly, fondly, kissing Corey. ‘Okay, let’s go!’ he exclaimed when he pulled back, clapping his hands.

Liam jumped at the sound, glaring at Mason, and his friend grinned wickedly. He pulled open the door to the driver’s seat and climbed behind the wheel, Corey taking the place next to him so Liam could sleep some more in the backseat.

‘You’re the worst,’ he muttered, staring at Mason via the rearview mirror.

Mason chuckled. ‘Don’t I know it,’ he responded with a laugh.

He twisted the key in the ignition, the engine coming to life with a rumble, and Mason carefully checked the street before driving out. Next to him Corey put on his seatbelt and fumbled with the navigation system, typing in the address that Lydia had given them. Liam’s eyes were already fluttering shut again, sleep close to taking him, but through the back window the last thing he saw was his and Mason’s apartment growing smaller in the background. He wondered, not for the first time, if they’d remembered to lock the front door before his eyes fell shut again, sleep taking him and his empty coffee cup hanging loosely from his hand.

*****

When Liam woke next, it was to Mason’s and Corey’s loud, and very off-key, singing along to the Christmas songs playing on the radio. The sounds of Mariah Carey’s _All I Want For Christmas Is You_ sounded softly in the background, but all Liam heard were his friends’ painful sounding voice. He squeezed his eyes shut, blinking, and sat up straight.

‘Will you two shut up?’ he grumbled, though he couldn’t help the hint of a laugh that sounded through his voice. ‘That is absolutely the worst way to wake up.’

‘Ah, Liam!’ Mason snorted, looking at Liam through the rearview mirror. ‘You’re awake!’

Liam yawned. ‘And how,’ he muttered, staring out of the window at the trees besides the road that flashed by. ‘What time is it? How far are we?’

‘Don’t worry,’ Corey responded, leaning forward to turn the volume down a little. ‘You’ve slept for maybe an hour, you didn’t miss too much.’

Liam’s stomach dropped a little at the thought of what he’d missed so far, but he reminded himself that they’d only been an hour on the way. Things couldn’t look that different from the city yet. He felt much more rested now, sure to stay awake for the rest of the day and watch as they drove into Beacon Hills.

‘If it makes you feel any better,’ Corey started, ‘There’s a bag with food on the floor behind Mason’s chair. You haven’t had breakfast yet.’

Liam nodded, taking Corey’s silent suggestion that he had to eat, and leaned forward to dig through the bag. He found a little plastic bag with ham sandwiches inside that were clearly made by Mason, which could only meant they’d taste like heaven, and Liam sunk his teeth into it hungrily.

‘In the meantime,’ Corey said with a grin, looking over his shoulder in his seat. ‘Why don’t we play karaoke a little more?’

With that, he turned up the radio again, much to Liam’s exasperation and earning a groan from him, as Mason joined in on Corey singing along loudly to Kelly Clarkson’s _Underneath The Tree_ coming from the radio and filling the car. Liam snorted, hiding his laugh behind his hand, before he finished his sandwich and knew that he would have no choice but to join in as well, knowing that his friends would never let him hear the end of it if he didn’t.

*****

Slowly Theo pulled up into the town, driving into Beacon Hills at a walking pace staring out of the window with a frown. As he did, he looked around at the many little shops that all had Christmas displays in their windows, the Christmas lights that had been hung around town and the big Christmas tree in the middle of the market place, and knew he had made a mistake. A feeling of dreaded shock settled in his stomach and a quiet curse slipped his mouth, under his breath.

How could this have happened? The thought spun around in his head. How had he not known that this was literally _Christmas Town_ personified?

Naturally, of course, he knew logically he only had himself to blame. Normally, he always forced himself to make sure to read all the information, be especially careful about these kinds of things, and he just hadn’t paid enough attention, stupidly enough. It had been late at night when he made the booking, he was tired and frustrated, and it caused him to be uncareful. Now he had to pay the price.

He would know better next time.

With a quiet sigh he pulled over at the side of the road, parking his car and killing the engine, and climbing out to walk over to the convenience store to pick up some easy dinner.

He pushed the door open, pleasantly surprised by how nice and warm it was inside the little shop, before his gaze fell on all the Christmas decorations being sold on the shelves of the store. He scrunched his nose up in distaste, stepping further inside with a sigh.

After strolling through the aisles, searching together a few cans of food that were easily warmed up in the magnetron, Theo stepped up to the counter to pay. The dark-haired woman behind the counter, whose name Theo saw on her nametag was Melissa, gave him a smile, starting to scan his items.

‘Will this be all?’ she asked, her voice polite in a way that Theo appreciated. He straightened his back, forcing a smile. ‘Yeah, thank you,’ he replied.

Melissa nodded, continuing to scan his items and placing them at the end of the counter, but every now and then Theo saw that she couldn’t help but look back up at him, her head tilted and her eyes curious, a silent question written on her face.

Theo knew what she was likely wondering and it made his shoulders tense up, tapping his foot on the ground and almost wishing she would just ask already. He was here on a vacation too, after all, though the glorification of Christmas that this town had going on and the excessive decorations all around him made him unsure if he was even gonna be able to enjoy it.

Finally, Melissa spoke up. ‘You’re Theo Raeken, aren’t you? The writer of House on the Corner?’

‘That would be me,’ Theo joked in response, forcing a chuckle that was more politeness than anything else, and eyed his food, wanting to get out of here. He yearned for the quiet that he hoped the chalet could give him.

‘Hm, I thought you looked familiar,’ Melissa nodded, with a cheerful smile now that he’d confirmed she was right. ‘I absolutely loved the book, I think I read it three times.’

Theo's smile widened, finding it to be more real and genuine this time, his shoulders relaxing a little more again and more at ease as a warm feeling flooded through him. Even after a year since the book had been out, it never failed to make him feel special to hear compliments about his work. ‘Thank you,’ he replied. ‘That’s always a nice thing to hear.’

Melissa chuckled, scanning his last item. ‘So what brings you to our little town?’ she asked, genuinely curious, looking up.

Theo swallowed, wondering if he should give her an honest answer, a uneasy feeling settling in the pit of his stomach at the question. It was personal, something he didn’t like to talk about or even think about himself, and he bit his lip. In the end, he decided to go with a half-truth.

‘I, uh, need an idea for a new book,’ he admitted quietly, shoving his slightly shaky hands in the pockets of his jeans.

Melissa’s eyes widened slightly in interest at his answer. ‘Oh?’ she asked. ‘Is it for another horror book?’

Theo looked up, starting to put his groceries in the bag he’d brought with him. ‘I don’t know yet,’ he responded honestly, happy that the previous topic had been averted, as he thought of where some of the inspiration for House on the Corner had come from and how hard it had honestly been for him to write. ‘I’m kinda hoping to… Find some inspiration here. And enjoy my time off, of course.’

‘Of course,’ Melissa laughed in response, taking a look at Theo’s filled grocery bag. Secretly, he was glad that it gave him the excuse to leave, the full bag signaling the end of their conversation. He had been tired from the moment he arrived here, he needed some quiet, and a longer conversation with strangers was sure to make him even more worn out.

‘Well, I hope you’ll enjoy your stay here,’ Melissa said, handing him the bags. ‘Bye.’

‘Thank you,’ Theo gave her a short nod, taking the bag from her and heading for the door. ‘Me too,’ he replied lastly before walking outside. Though, with the lack of research on his side and the lack of luck he always had, he still seriously doubted it.

*****

They stopped at a gas station, needing to tank, and Liam was more than happy to get out of the car for a bit after two hours, desperately needing to stretch his legs for a minute.

Mason threw his door open first, and Liam followed his lead, climbing out and following Corey to the little shop at the front. He was thirsty, and sick of the little bottles of cola that Mason had brought along for the road.

‘I’m sorry I ate your ham sandwich,’ he muttered, hanging his head and staring down at the ground.

Corey snorted, pushing the door to the shop open. ‘As long as you know that gas station sandwiches are never nowhere near as good as Mason’s, I’m not too bothered with it,’ he chuckled.

Liam stepped inside first, nodding, and made his way to where the bottles with water were sold immediately. ‘We should definitely make him cook our Christmas dinner!’ he called over to Corey, the other boy standing by the little bags of chips.

Corey looked up, a wide, knowing grin tugging at his lips. ‘I may have already made sure of that!’ he laughed, and Liam coughed, because of course he had.

‘It better be worth it.’

Corey walked over to him with three bags of chips, one for each of them in their favorite flavors. ‘You know it will be,’ he said, handing Liam his chips. ‘It’s Mason. He’s the best cook I know.’

‘Tell me about it,’ Liam chuckled, as they strolled towards the counter. ‘I’m so lucky I get to enjoy his food every night.’

‘You’re making me jealous again,’ Corey snorted, placing his food on the counter. ‘I seriously don’t regret coming to eat with you guys so often.'

‘Hmm, you shouldn’t,’ Liam chuckled, paying for his own chips and water, thinking of how Corey came over for dinner five out of seven days in the week. He didn’t blame him.

‘You know,’ he said, as they walked outside again. ‘We should see if Mason’s gonna make us Christmas cookies this year too!’ The comment coming to mind as he saw his best sitting in the front seat of the car waiting for them, and waved the bag of chips around to show they had bought it for him.

Corey’s widened brightly. ‘Totally!’ he agreed, as Mason grinned and they rushed over to him. Corey climbed back on the passenger seat, and Liam walked around the car and knocked on Mason’s window. He waited until Mason rolled down the window before he said: ‘Are you still okay with driving? Or should one of us take over?’

Mason hesitated, and Corey nudged his side, nodding to Liam. ‘I’ll drive,’ he said.

Liam nodded, waiting for his friends to switch seats before taking the passenger seat, Mason in the backseat, and securing the seat belt. Corey pulled the door shut, starting the car, and it wasn’t until he drove out onto the main road again that Liam grinned, looking away from the window and towards his friends, and turned on the radio loudly again.

 _Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas_ blasted out of the radio, and Liam’s grin widened as Mason and Corey snorted softly and exchanged a mischievous, knowing look, their eyes sparkling. It wasn’t long before they all sang along again, their voices coming out over the music equally as loud and off-key as to what Liam had woken up to before.

*****

In much relief, to finally be alone and have some peace and quiet, Theo pulled up to the house and stared out of his window, studying it with a frown.

He found that the house was mostly made of wood, black wood, though it looked secure and nice. The front porch had a single chair on it, a Christmas garland on the front door that Theo for once didn’t mind so much, a window on the left side of the house made sure you could see inside, and even there everything looked warm and inviting. It even made the weight drop from Theo’s shoulders a little bit, making his shoulders a little less tense, and he breathed.

On what seemed to be the first floor of the house, there were a few smaller windows for the bedroom, and on the right side of the house, a little more towards the back, Theo spotted a shed where they no doubt kept supplies for the garden.

Quickly he killed the engine and climbed out of the car, swinging his backpack over his shoulder and leaving the rest of his luggage in the car for now. Through the snow, he made his way over the path to the porch and climbed up the steps, shaking his head and his hair out of his eyes, and smiled, freely, relieved to be alone. He was sure that the first thing he was gonna do once getting inside, was taking a nap. He felt like he could really do with one, after how worn-out he felt.

He leaned down, reaching for the key that he had been informed would be under the mat, twisting the small thing in his hands before clicking it into the lock.

The door sprung open, revealing a narrow hallway to Theo, and immediately, as he looked inside, his expression turned into one of shock, tensing up at what he saw.

Right across from him, on the other wall of the hallway, Theo was met with the sight of cheerful, red decorations, something that resembled tinsel and a Santa hanging on the wall. He swallowed, wondering to himself why he was even still surprised by this kind of thing.

‘No, no, no, this will not do,’ he muttered as he willed himself to move again. He dropped the keys to the house on the dresser that stood against the wall, a bit like the one he had at him, and hurried towards the living room where, as expected, hung even more Christmas crap.

Quickly he grabbed a stray laundry basket, pulling the decorations off the walls and putting them in it, bringing the basket to the basement. They would be put away safely there, and he could do what he came here to do. Recharge and think of a new idea for his next book, without the distraction of memories he didn’t want to think about, that he wasn’t sure those Christmas decorations wouldn’t trigger.

He was even less sure about that with the rest of the town.

He told himself not too worry about it now though, , first doing what he wanted to do here and take a nap, before worrying about dinner.

Theo turned, walking out the front door again back to his car, to retrieve the last of his luggage. With little difficulty, he dug them out of his trunk, slamming it shut before locking his car. Back inside, he closed the front door behind him and put his luggage in the first downstairs bedroom he found, leaving it to be unpacked later. There was something more important first.

With a sigh, he finally lay down on what he swore could be the softest bed in the world, sleep already pulling at him trying to take over him, and closed his tired eyes.

*****

They arrived in the dark, all of them a little worn-out from driving on their day-long road trip, but excited to finally have arrived. The last hour and a half of the drive seemed to have dragged by slowly, the three of them passing the time with silly car games or listening to more Christmas music, but all gradually and inevitably growing more quiet.

Corey parked the car in the snow, carefully bringing it to a stop, and stared out of the window with a smile. ‘This is it,’ he said, nodding to the chalet on their right.

Liam nodded quietly, staring up at the chalet impressed. It looked warm and inviting, nice and perfect for a holiday stay in a way that made him not want to wait to get inside, and it was certainly big enough for the three of them.

‘Well,’ Mason started, interrupting his thoughts, and opening his door with a wide smile. ‘Let’s inspect this chalet from the inside, right? I’m not planning on sitting in here for the rest of the evening. It looks like a sort of snowstorm is coming.’

Liam chuckled as it was incredibly dark again outside indeed, following Mason’s lead and climbing out as well, into the snow, and following his friends to the trunk.

It was stuffed full to the max, as all of their luggage had barely fit in the back, and with a tug Corey pulled out the black weekend bag that was on top, placing it beside him in the snow. ‘I think that one’s yours,’ he said to Mason.

‘Yes!’ Mason confirmed cheery, swinging the bag over his shoulder and helping his boyfriend and best friend with the rest of the bags.

Liam pulled out a few bags and grocery bags until the trunk was empty, leaving them behind the car, and gathered all his luggage first before picking up an extra grocery bag. He waited for his friends and once Mason and Corey had done the same, and sorted out their baggage, they made their way to the front porch through the snow and walked up the steps.

‘It really looks nice, huh?’ Mason said with a warm smile, looking up at the chalet with wide impressed eyes. Liam nodded in agreement, buzzing with excitement to go inside, and Mason placed down his bag to lean down.

‘Didn’t they say they placed the key under the mat?’

Liam’s head snapped around at the words, staring down at his best friend. ‘Is it not there?’ he asked, unable to keep the slight alarmed tone from sounding through his voice as the same alarmed feeling creeped up on him. What if they couldn’t get inside? Would they have to go to the leasing company’s office?

Corey frowned, biting his lip and feeling the doorknob, his face clearing in relief as it gave way. ‘They left it open for us.’

He pushed the door open, stepping inside, and Mason shot Liam a worried look before they followed him inside.

They came to a stop in what they saw was a small hallway, built with walls from mostly wood, a few plants scattered here and there and a small dresser that stood against the wall, with a coat rack on the other side of the door.

Liam smiled, his excitement drowning out the alarmed feeling, to the back of his mind. ‘It is nice!’ he exclaimed, taking a look around. He felt his shoulders relax, eager to explore and take a look at the rest of the house. ‘I’m pretty sure this will be an awesome holiday!’ he said, taking off his coat and laughing as Corey nodded in agreement with him.

Mason nodded, shrugging off his coat and hanging it up on the coat rack, before his gaze was caught by something, and he stepped past them. ‘Guys,’ he said, turning around from the dresser and holding something small up in his hand. ‘The keys are right here.’

Liam looked up, staring at the keys dangling from Mason’s hand. ‘Weird…’ he mumbled, the alarming feeling coming back to him a little again.

Corey frowned, before relaxing again. ‘Must be someone from the leasing company,’ he commented, making his way to the living room door already. ‘Maybe there was a problem with the house.’

Liam frowned but nodded, following Corey through the corridor next to the Mason as they left their baggage by the door for now, and his concern fell away as he saw the living room and took a look around.

It wasn’t a very big room he saw, enough for the three day of them, with a small kitchen attached on the right, and two couches and a chair in the lounge on the far end of the room. Across from the couch in the middle, there was a small fireplace that Liam knew would look cozy and keep them warm when there was actually a fire burning in there. He hoped tonight they could do that, and warm this place up a little more than it currently was. Though he felt warm inside just being here, excited to spend Christmas this way for a change. His hands itched for his photo camera, wanting to take a few pictures of this place already and capture it the way that it should be.

‘Do you guys smell coffee?’ Corey asked then, interrupting his thoughts and taking a few steps towards the kitchen counter, where the coffee machine was still warm from fresh coffee.

Liam frowned, following Corey’s gaze and bit his lip in unease. ‘Hmm…’ he started. ‘Maybe…’

He didn’t have a chance to find out what the end of that sentence was, because suddenly, they were interrupted.

‘Hey, excuse me!’ a voice behind them called, and Liam jumped, feeling like his heart was gonna jump out of his chest at the sudden voice, and quickly like three deer in the headlights they turned around.

‘What are you doing in my chalet?’ a guy with the most beautiful green eyes Liam had ever seen asked irritatedly, quickly stuffing the thought away again, though the guy hadn’t counted on Mason.

His best friend squeaked, throwing the keys he still had in his hands at the unwelcomed man standing in their chalet, and hitting him straight in the temple.

The guy cursed, flinching and stumbling a step backwards as he pressed his hand against his temple with a groan. ‘Ow!’

‘Sorry,’ Mason managed in a small voice like nothing Liam had ever heard from him, the embarrassment sounding through his voice and his cheeks red to match his tone.

The guy just glared at him in response and Liam bit his lip, resisting the urge to facepalm and feeling the secondhand embarrassment on Mason’s behalf flooding through him. ‘Oh my God! Are you… Are you okay?’ he wanted to know as he resisted the urge to laugh at the ridiculousness, a hint of concern for the other man standing in their rented chalet sounding through his voice. Another thought of how handsome the stranger was hit him, but Liam pushed it far away in his mind. Now was not the time.

The guy shot him a glare, opening his mouth to answer with his eyes burning angrily, but was interrupted before he could get a chance.

‘Hold on a second,’ Corey started, holding up his hand and staring at the guy. ‘What do you mean “your chalet?” What are you doing in _our_ chalet?’ He paused for a second, trying to make sense of whatever thing was happening here and frowned as the realization of what was going on slowly dawned on him, but still needing the confirmation. ‘You’re not from the leasing company, are you?’ he asked, quieter than a moment before.

‘No!’ the guy replied stiffly in response, crossing his arms and straightening his back in irritation. ‘No, I’m not. I rented this place!’

Liam stayed silent for a moment, swallowing, a feeling of confusion washing over him as he registered the words. He glanced over at his friends, but by the look of it, Corey and Mason weren’t doing much better at understanding this than him.

‘No, no, no,’ Corey started, shaking his head wildly. ‘That’s not right. _We_ rented this cabin, see, the company that he works for,’ he said, gesturing to Liam, ‘Leased it for us because he’s got work to do here.’

Liam forced a smile, uncomfortable being put in the spotlight like that, and the other man looked Liam up and down with a blank, unimpressed look on his face, making Liam’s heart race in his chest nervously.

‘So do I,’ he said then. ‘And technically, I was here first.’

Corey bit his lip, his jaw tight at the comment, but Mason pulled his sleeve, averting his attention from the stranger. ‘Corey,’ he started, looking at Liam and the other guy before continuing. ‘It seems pretty obvious that there’s been a mix-up here, with the leasing company.’

Corey looked towards his boyfriend, nodding slowly, before turning back to the stranger. ‘Yeah, you’re right,’ he said. ‘I’ve got a phone call to make. We need this.’

The stranger scowled unhappily. ‘Well, go ahead. But I’m staying right here.’

‘We’ll sort this out,’ Corey said, before walking out of the room. Mason frowned. ‘I’m coming with you!’ he called, quickly saying to the other man as he walked by: ‘I think both of us would like to stay here. We will sort this out. And… I’m sorry about the keys again.’

Then he was gone, and the silence returned to the room. The stranger crossed his arms, staring at Liam with raised eyebrows and a sigh escaped his lips. Liam felt his cheeks heating up, feeling small under the man’s gaze.

‘There is no sorting out,’ he said. ‘I was here first. I’m not going anywhere.’

Liam nodded, forcing a smile. ‘Let’s just wait for what the leasing company says, yeah? There’s obviously just been some mistake, Corey can probably just get us a different chalet.’

The guy looked at him for a moment longer, shrugging, before turning around and wincing slightly at the sore spot on his head. Liam frowned, a slight feeling of concern washing over him.

‘Wait,’ he said, ‘hold on a sec,’ letting out a sigh when the man paused, looking over his shoulder.

‘I’ll take a look at that.’

The man turned around fully now, raising his eyebrows. ‘What?’

Liam sighed, forcing a smile, and walking over the kitchen. He pulled open the freezer, much to his relief finding some ice inside, and brought it back to the other man.

‘Sit,’ he said, not leaving any room for argument in his voice.

The man raised his eyebrows, skeptically. ‘What?’

Liam smiled, gesturing to the couch. ‘Sit down,’ he repeated, gentler. ‘It’s the least we can do, for just… Crashing into your house. Sorry about that.’

The man held his gaze for a moment more, debating whether he should say something, before sighing and giving in, sitting down. Liam smiled, pressing the ice to the spot on his head where Mason had hit him.

‘It doesn’t look too bad,’ he commented awkwardly when it stayed silent, Corey’s voice coming in quietly from the other room. He remembered taking care of Brett like this once, and flinched slightly, not wanting to think about him right now. ‘Should be better by tonight.’ He looked up, his expression turning more serious, a soft breath escaping his lips. 'Are you sure you're okay?'

‘What a relief,’ the guy muttered, 'Fine,' his eyes directed at the floor, and an unwanted snort escaped Liam’s lips at the sarcasm. He leaned against the couch, letting the guy take over the hold on the ice bag himself.

‘I don’t think we’ve been introduced yet,’ he said then, staring down at the guy in a desperate attempt to break the silence hanging heavy in the room. ‘I’m Liam.’

The guy stared up at him, eyeing him suspiciously, before sighing and giving in. ‘Theo,’ he sighed in response, forcing an overexaggerated smile.

Liam nodded, walking back to the kitchen and watching as Theo pressed the ice bag harder against his head in frustration. He wasn’t happy to see they were there, and in all honesty, Liam couldn’t blame him. He wouldn’t be either, if he rented a chalet and three strange people he didn’t know showed up.

But the truth was, that it kinda happened to them too, and they were in this situation all together now. It would be lucky if Corey could fix them another chalet, especially since this one didn’t even seem to have any of the promised Christmas decorations, but the truth was that they rented this one too, just as much as Theo did. That gave them the same right to claim it as he did.

Liam sighed softly, leaning against the counter and staring to the snowy streets outside lost in his thoughts. He hoped it could be all sorted out. He needed a nice vacation on top of his work too. That was all. Here was to hoping he’d get it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam, Mason & Corey and Theo decide what they should do about the situation for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's actually harder to write this now that Christmas is over... But anyway here's a new chapter.  
> Enjoy! :)

# As soon as Theo woke up, opening his eyes, he swung his feet over the edge of the bed and stood up, straightening his back. With a yawn he rubbed his eyes, not denying that he felt a bit better after that nap, that he had clearly needed after that long drive from the city.

With bare feet, in the sweatpants and simple t-shirt that he had changed into, he shuffled to the kitchen and filled the coffee machine, ready to make himself something to drink. As he waited for it to finish he scrolled through his phone absent-mindedly, checking for any messages he may have gotten, only to find that the only three messages he had were from Derek, asking him if he made it in to the chalet alright.

Theo typed a short answer back, quickly telling him yes, before putting his phone away again and taking his cup of coffee to the bedroom.

With a sigh, Theo put the mug down on the desk and pulled on a sweater, shivering from the cold in the house and telling himself to put the fire on later, and zipped his backpack open to pull out his laptop.

A sigh of dread escaped his lips at the sight of the thing, already knowing that his head was empty and would probably remain so. It had been for almost a year, after all.

With a frown he sat down and started his laptop, glancing up at the faint light of the headlights of a car that shined through the closed blinds of his bedroom window, before looking back at his screen. The cursor blinked, threateningly, mockingly, on his empty Word document, and Theo swallowed. He placed his fingers on the keyboard, ready to type, but nothing came. It was like the words were stuck, and he couldn’t get them right no matter how he tried. So he’d stopped trying altogether, a while ago.

Theo sighed, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his hands over his face tiredly. It had to be easier than this, surely it had to be easier right? Then why wasn’t it?

Oh, how he wished for a distraction right now.

*****

When Theo had thought of a distraction, this was not what he had in mind. With a distraction he thought of taking a walk, making another cup of coffee or watching some tv, not three boys barging in his cabin and claiming that they had rented it too. One of which was, actually, undeniably cute and had actually the most striking blue eyes Theo had ever seen, but he was too annoyed with the home-invasion and the apparent mix-up to let it distract him, and pushed the thought to the back of his mind. He wanted some peace and quiet when he came here, not… This.

And being painfully attacked by a key from the guy whose name Theo learnt was Mason, definitely didn’t help either.

‘Are you sure you’re okay?’ the blue-eyed guy asked, gently, interrupting Theo’s thoughts as he groaned and pressed the ice pack harder to the sore spot on his head.

Theo looked up, raising his eyebrows at the boys tone. ‘Fine,’ he grumbled, his eyes widening slightly at the snort coming from the other’s lips. That was one reaction he hadn’t expected, or heard often, at that tone he used. ‘I, uhm, don’t think we’ve been introduced yet,’ the other boy continued, breaking the moment of heavy silence that hung between them. ‘I’m Liam.’

Theo glanced up at him, eyeing the expectant look on his face suspiciously even though, somewhere vaguely in the back of his mind, he realized that Liam was only trying to help this situation for all of them as best as he could.

Not feeling up to that after their cabin-hijacking though Theo sighed, figuring this guy wasn’t gonna give up until he got an answer, and gave a smile that he knew looked as forced as it felt. ‘Theo,’ he said past gritted teeth in response.

Liam nodded, sending him a short smile before he turned and walked to the kitchen. Theo groaned at the situation, pressing the icepack harder to his forehead, and wishing that he could just do this day over already. Preferably somewhere Liam and his and key-throwing friends never showed up, so he could at least have the peace and quiet that he was promised this cabin provided.

His thoughts were interrupted though when a soft sigh slipped from Liam’s lips reaching his ears, and Theo glanced over at the other man in the kitchen with a frown. He had his arms crossed, staring out of the window into the front yard lost in his thoughts and a wistful look in his eyes. Theo sighed, his annoyance for being bothered on his vacation fading slightly and he was hit by a sudden feeling of guilt.

This mix-up wasn’t Liam’s fault, obviously, he just came here and wanted to enjoy his holiday, same as Theo. Maybe he shouldn’t have been this short.

He didn’t get too much to really think it through though, thinking of something to say and a frustrated sigh escaping his lips, before he was interrupted.

‘Okay,’ the blond-haired boy started, walking back into the room with Mason following close behind him. Theo’s head shot up, eager to hear what kind of excuse the leasing company could possibly have for this situation and his guilt from a moment ago forgotten, as he waited for the guy to continue.

‘It turns out, as we already knew,’ the boy explained his phone call to the leasing company, ‘That they leased this chalet to the both of us. And on top of that, everything else is booked.’

Theo stayed silent at the words, a familiar feeling of dread settling in his stomach and he swallowed, immediately the feeling of annoyance returned to him tenfold.

 _How could this be happening to him?_ he thought distraught, tensing up again and swallowing the sour taste in his mouth away, a heavy feeling settling in his stomach. He fell back against the couch, the icepack loosely in his hand next to him and the question floating around in his head. _Did he honestly not deserve a quiet vacation anymore now?_

*****

Liam’s stomach dropped at the words, a defeated feeling washing over him as he thought _goodbye to their vacation then_ , and Corey looked at him regretfully.

‘They said it was an honest mistake that our bookings went wrong,’ he continued, brushing a hand through his hair and shooting a quick glance towards Theo. ‘They said to come by the office in the morning to try and fix this mistake, and see if they could give one of us another chalet.’

Liam stayed silent at the words, considering them for a moment and turning them over in his head before glancing at Theo and the unhappy, stubborn on his face, it was clear that he wasn’t gonna say anything to make this situation better for any of them. Liam sighed, pushing off from the kitchen counter. ‘Well,’ he started, tiredly. ‘At least that’s something.’

Corey nodded, opening his mouth to continue, before Theo stood up and cut in. ‘Something?’ he started, crossing his arms. ‘That’s tomorrow morning! What are we supposed to do until then?’

He sounded upset, a hint of desperation clouding his voice, and a guilty feeling for barging in the cabin washed over Liam despite the fact that the other man hadn’t been cooperative with them since the start.

Corey sighed, turning around to him resolutely. ‘Look, I’m sorry, okay?’ he started, sounding like he wasn’t gonna take no for an answer. ‘But there’s a snowstorm outside. Surely we can hold out for one night.’

Theo remained silent at the words, his eyes widening as dread settled on his face. Liam bit his lip, hiding the impatience with him that had been growing ever since Corey set foot back into the room. ‘Are you… Are you saying that we should all stay here together, tonight?’

Corey sighed. ‘Yes,’ he breathed out. ‘There’s a snowstorm. There’s nowhere else for us to go right now.’

Theo stayed silent, a frown on his face at Corey’s words, and Liam sighed, taking a step forward towards him. ‘Look,’ he started, making sure to keep his voice calmer than Corey had a moment ago. ‘I know this isn’t ideal, okay, and that you were here first. But, it’s only for a night, and we’ll fix this right in the morning. Okay?’

Theo stared at him with a frown, a blank look on his face, but Liam didn’t miss the consideration in his eyes. He sighed. ‘Fine,’ he gave in, holding up his hands, before continuing more patiently, ‘I guess the night is okay. We can go to the leasing office tomorrow morning.’

A breath of relief escaped Liam’s lips, an equally relieved feeling washing over him and lifting a weight from his shoulders. ‘Great!’ he commented, though he reminded himself that it was probably Theo not feeling up to the hassle of arguing and convincing them to go elsewhere that was the reason he had given in.

‘But…!’ Theo continued then, turning to them again. ‘I’m taking the upstairs bedroom!’

Liam paused, turning to look over his shoulder at the other man. He gave a strained smile, forcing himself to not snap at him, as for the first time since they met that evening, the other man’s bitter attitude had become less funny. ‘Alright,’ he started. ‘Where can we sleep?’

Theo nodded towards the hallway, on the other side of the living room. ‘There’s two bedrooms downstairs, one with a single bed, and one with a double sized bed,’ he explained.

At that, Liam looked up, towards his friends, and chuckled at the look Mason and Corey exchanged with each other before looking back to him. ‘We’ll take the double sized bed,’ they said in unison.

:Liam snorted, and Theo nodded towards the kitchen. ‘I’ve got food there as well,’ he started tiredly, though his head shot around when Mason snorted at the words.

‘You mean those two sad cans over there?’ he asked. ‘I’ve already seen what you got, that doesn’t count as food.’

A frown made its way onto Theo’s face, the man crossing his arms with an annoyed look in his eyes. ‘And I’m supposed to think that you have something better?’ he asked, sounding unimpressed.

Mason opened his mouth to respond, but Liam beat him to it, shooting Theo a smile. ‘We’ve… Actually brought some groceries too,’ he chuckled, nodding towards the hallway where their baggage was still standing by the front door. ‘Mason’s an amazing cook.’

Theo glanced towards Liam, before letting his gaze wander over to Mason. ‘Really?’ he asked, not bothering to hide the skeptical tone that sounded through his voice.

Mason nodded, his smile widening on his face. ‘Yeah!’ he started, turning towards the kitchen. ‘It's, of course, the only reason I was brought along!' he chuckled, Liam and Corey's cheeks turning red as they scrambled to deny his statement. Mason grinned, making his way towards the kitchen. 'I have… Some hamburgers for tonight.’ He coughed. ‘I wanted to keep it simple, you know, for the first night.’

‘It sounds lovely,’ Corey responded, kissing his boyfriend’s cheek and making his way back to the corridor. ‘I’m just gonna move our luggage to the bedrooms. We can see if we have to unpack later.’

Mason gave him a nod, following after him with a short, ‘I’ll help you,’ and Liam looked towards Theo, giving the other man a small, regretful smile.

‘I’m sorry it turned out this way,’ he muttered, his cheeks burning. ‘It’s not really how we envisioned it either.’

It was true, the last way Liam had expected to spend this holiday was locked away in a chalet with a stranger, but they were here now, and there was no use in wishing they weren’t. The best thing they could do, was looking forward and try whatever they could to fix this mess.

Theo looked over at him, his face softening for a moment before his previous unimpressed look returned to his eyes. ‘It’s fine,’ he muttered, hunching his shoulders as he turned and walked into the hallway for what Liam assumed was to grab his luggage and bring it upstairs.

He frowned, watching after the other man as he walked away, his eyes fixated on the other’s shoulders. He guessed he had kind of seen it earlier, but not really registered it. But the tension never really left the man’s shoulders that evening, did it?

*****

A little over half an hour later, and the whole living room was starting to fill with the delicious smell of Mason’s burgers. Liam wandered over to the kitchen, stomach rumbling from the smell, before he tried to snoop a little bite from the burgers and Mason slapped his fingers away.

‘Don’t!’ he giggled. ‘You know that’s for later!’

Liam grinned wickedly, chuckling as he continued to help Corey set the table. They were pleased to find that most plates, cups and knives and forks were already here in the chalet, in the cupboards ready to use. That was one of the few things they didn’t bring, after all.

With a smile, the chalet warming up already after their attempt at making a fire, Liam put the bottle of water and the buns for the hamburgers on the table, when he noticed that there was a plate missing. The table had been set for three instead of four, and Liam frowned.

‘Where’s Theo?’ he said, asking despite feeling like he should already know what the answer was. ‘Is he not coming for dinner?’

At his question Corey looked up, glancing uncomfortably towards Mason and exchanging a look with him. Liam bit his lip at the silent exchange and cleared his throat, letting his friends know that he was still here as a heavy feeling settled in his stomach.

‘He… Said he had to work,’ Corey muttered, focusing stubbornly on straightening the knives and forks besides the plates, though it was obvious to Liam that his cheeks were red from blushing. He shook his head, taking a step backward as an uneasy feeling crept up on him. ‘No…’ he started, determination sounding clear in his voice even to his own ears. ‘No, that won’t do,’ he said, turning and walking towards the stairs.

‘Liam…!’ Mason called after him hesitantly, but Liam shot him a glance in response, letting him know that he was gonna ask again anyway. No one should be alone at dinner, and eat it on their own in their room away from the rest of the company.

Nervously, Liam made his way through the upstairs hallway, feet quiet on the carpet on the ground, until he reached the only door that was ajar and he knew would lead to the bedroom. Softly, he knocked on the door, not waiting for an answer to come in before he pushed the door open, and paused in the doorway.

Theo sat in the chair by the desk, his laptop open in front of him showing an empty Word document, and Liam could see Theo rubbing his temple, his shoulders slumped forward. He looked almost… _Sad_.

‘Theo?’ Liam started quietly, the other man freezing and looking over his shoulder at the call of his name. ‘Dinner’s ready, are you coming?’

With a soft sigh Theo turned, pulling up his legs against his chest and wrapping his arms around them. Liam ignored how adorable it made him look, instead waiting for answer.

‘I’m… Not hungry,’ Theo responded, raising an eyebrow. ‘I think I’m gonna pass. But thanks.’

Liam bit his lip, disappointment washing over him as he crossed his arms. That was not the response he was hoping for, and actually, not the one he was gonna settle for. Theo sitting here all alone while they ate dinner together downstairs, wasn’t right. Not the way it was supposed to be.

‘You have to eat something,’ he tried again, lips curling up in a smile. ‘You can’t go a whole evening without dinner.’

Theo sighed, opening his mouth to respond and likely repeat his answer from a moment ago again, when his stomach rumbled in response for him.

A soft chuckle escaped Liam’s lips at the noise, amused by the timing. ‘Not hungry, huh?’ he asked softly, nodding towards the hallway. ‘Come on.’

Theo stayed silent, staring at him blankly as he raised an eyebrow. ‘You’re really not gonna take no for an answer, are you?’ he asked.

Liam grinned, a proud feeling washing over him. ‘I am not,’ he said, taking the question as a victory.

Theo chewed on his lip in consideration, studying Liam’s face with narrowed eyes, before he sighed in resignation and stood up from his chair. ‘Alright,’ he muttered, stepping past Liam into the hallway. ‘Let’s do this then.’

Liam nodded, following the other man towards the stairs. The smell of Mason’s hamburgers had already reached the top of the stairs, tickling Liam’s nose, and he breathed in deeply with a smile at his friend’s cooking, his stomach rumbling after the long day on the road they’d had. Subconsciously, his eyes were fixated on the back of the boy in front of him, the outlines of his muscles and broad shoulders under his white shirt.

Startled by his own thoughts, Liam shook his head. He’d just met the guy, he shouldn’t even be looking at that right now!

Especially not so soon after Brett.

Instead, he followed Theo down the stairs and led him towards the table, quickly grabbing a plate and a knife and fork for him so he could eat. Corey smiled, gesturing to all the food options spread out over the table for him.

‘You decided to come down for dinner anyway?’ he asked with a smile.

‘Well, you know…’ Theo sighed, glancing towards Liam before placing a bun on his plate. ‘He really wouldn’t let me have a choice.’

Mason chuckled, looking towards Liam. ‘He’s kinda known for that,’ he joked, earning an offended _‘Hey!’_ from Liam in response. ‘I hope this doesn’t bother you,’ he said, awkwardly gesturing to all of them eating together.

Theo shrugged, muttering a quick _thank you_ as Corey scooped a hamburger on his plate. ‘It’s kinda late for that now,’ he replied, and Mason let out a muffled chuckle at the response. ‘Okay.’

‘But, uh, it smells great,’ Theo managed, pressing his burger and bun together on his plate. Mason watched the movement, looking up at Theo with a smile. ‘Thank you.’

Theo looked up at him, taking a bite from his burger, and Liam did the same as he watched the man’s eyes widen slightly at what he tasted. He smiled, knowing already that he would like Mason’s food. Everyone did, really. Liam hoped that when Mason felt ready for it, he would actually do something with it.

‘So…’ Corey started, swallowing his own bite of his burger. ‘You said you had work to do here too, right? What do you do?’

‘Hmm…’ Theo started, following Corey’s lead and swallowing his bite as well before he answered. ‘I’m a writer.’

At this, Liam looked up, a wave of surprise washing over him. ‘Really?’ He narrowed his eyes in thought. ‘That’s what you were doing upstairs too, wasn’t it?’

Theo paused, stopping his hamburger halfway to his mouth, and Liam saw the way some of the earlier tension in his shoulders replaced the carefree look on his face. ‘I was trying to, yeah,’ he managed quietly.

Liam nodded shortly, quietly questioning Theo’s tense reaction to his question. He wondered if he’d hit a secret sore spot, feeling a bit bad about it.

‘What do you write?’ Corey continued, not having noticed Theo’s reaction. ‘Anything we would know?’

‘Uh, maybe,’ Theo started nervously, putting his burger back on his plate and squeezing his hands together, the look on his face letting Liam know that he’d had this question at least a hundred times before. ‘I’ve got one thing published, it’s called _House On The Corner_.’

At that, Mason dropped his knife, his head snapping up over to Theo. ‘Oh my God,’ he started, the shock sounding through his voice. ‘You’re Theo Raeken!’ he exclaimed, a laugh escaping his lips. Theo’s eyes widened, his face paling as he forced an uncomfortable smile, his shoulders tensing up.

‘I thought you looked familiar!’ Mason continued. ‘I’ve read that book a couple of times, loved it.’

‘Me too,’ Corey commented, a smile forming on his face. ‘Amazingly written.’

‘Uh… Thanks?’ Theo managed, biting his lip and hiding his hands in his lap under the table, before Liam tore his gaze away from him, his frown fading from his face along with the feeling of concern he got from seeing how uncomfortable Theo looked, and he asked: ‘Sorry, who?’

‘Theo Raeken,’ Mason replied before Theo could, and Liam glanced in his direction. Theo looked over at him, forcing a strained smile. ‘ _House On The Corner_ is my favorite book. It's a horror story,' he explained to Liam.

‘You wrote that?’ Liam asked, looking towards Theo with a smile, and he nodded. ‘I’ve heard Mason about it. I… haven’t read it though,’ he admitted.

‘You know,’ Corey continued, taking a bite from his burger. ‘I’ve kinda, always, wanted to know what inspired that book for you.’

Liam watched as Theo paled at the question, freezing and pausing where he had his burger halfway to his mouth. His shoulders tensed, a frown forming on his face replacing the somewhat easy expression that had been there the moment before.

Liam swallowed. Now he knew for certain that the topic had struck a nerve for Theo, the subject being a sensitive one for him.

‘It’s… Something personal,’ Theo managed with his jaw clenched slightly, avoiding their gazes. ‘I’d rather not talk about it.’

It stayed silent for a moment, Mason and Corey not having expected that kind of reaction after a seemingly normal question, and exchanged a suspicious look with Liam, their eyes narrowed.

A soft chuckle escaped Mason’s lips then, ‘Okay,’ and Theo glanced up.

Liam bit his lip, sending him a forced smile as he could still cut the tension in the air between them with a knife, and pushed the salad bowl over the table to Theo. ‘There’s still… Some of this left, if you want,’ he managed, clearing his throat.

‘…Thanks,’ Theo muttered, scooping some of the salad on his plate.

Corey, Mason and Liam watched as he did before tearing away their gazes, changing the subject about whether they should unpack if they were just gonna leave again the next morning, and Liam felt the heavy uneasiness in the air fade away again, seeing Theo relax again slightly more slowly from the corner of his eye, his shoulders dropping.

Theo looked up, leaning forward and waiting for a silent moment in their conversation before he spoke up, looking towards Liam. ‘You said you had work to do here too, right? What do you do?’

Liam smiled, surprised with the sudden question, but happy to carry on the conversation. ‘I’m… A photographer,’ he replied. ‘I work for _Town And Country_ , the travelling and lifestyle magazine.’

Theo nodded slowly. ‘I think I've heard of that magazine, yeah…’ he mumbled, taking a bite from his burger before he turned to Mason and Corey. ‘And you?’ he asked, coughing.

Corey looked taken aback, surprised by the question, before he followed Mason’s lead and smiled. ‘I, have an office job,’ he said, chuckling. ‘Boring, right. And, he works at a grocery store, in the baking section.’

Theo nodded, following Corey’s gaze towards Mason. Mason grinned. ‘So, more food for me there as well,’ he chuckled, nodding to the table full of dinner, and Liam grinned. ‘He loves to cook,’ he explained to Theo, and the man nodded slowly. ‘I… I kind of got that,’ he said, and Liam chuckled, glancing towards Mason and Corey. When Theo didn’t continue, a moment of silence interrupting their conversation, Liam changed the subject, starting on whether they could try and see if they could get the TV to work after dinner, as there would be some good movies on.

Mason nodded in agreement, commenting on a movie he was hoping to see, and as Liam said he was hoping to see a Christmas movie, he could see Theo listening to them in silence from the corner of his eye. He leaned back in his chair, brushing his hand through his hair, and he followed their conversation in silence, looking towards whoever was speaking without commenting on what they said, but listening to them anyway.

*****

They decided to end their evening with a little game, after all the dishes and the cleaning up had been done. Mason grinned, reaching for his backpack and digging around in it.

‘Hey, Theo, we’re going for a game of cards, you wanna join?’ he asked.

Theo turned, looking over his shoulder from where he was sitting on the couch by the fire, his back turned towards them. ‘Uh, no, thanks,’ he managed quietly, holding up the book he had in his hands. ‘I’m just… Gonna read for a bit.’

Mason nodded, spreading out the cards over the dining table, and Liam smiled, taking the seat at the head of the table. He picked up his cards, managing to keep his poker face in check when he saw how good they were, and waited for his friends to go first before it was his turn. He wouldn’t deny that he was a bad player, though it was usually Corey who won. How he did it, Liam didn’t know, and it always frustrated Mason endlessly, but still, they always ended up having fun playing card games together.

And as they did, Liam couldn’t help but glance towards Theo every now and then, the other man sitting slumped down on the couch, a concentrated frown on his face as he focused on the book he read, and yet somehow still seeming more at ease than anything he’d been since Liam met him earlier that day.

And when they went to bed eventually that night, not making it too late, they all received a nice and quiet _good night_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked that! Tell me what you think, comments make my day! :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The situation gets fixed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter! :) From Theo's perspective  
> I hope it all makes sense

# As soon as Theo woke up, it was to the smell of something sweet hanging in the air, making his eyes flutter open and luring him out of bed. Curiously, he put his bare feet on the floor, making his way out of the bedroom and downstairs towards the kitchen only dressed in his black and red checkered pajama pants and black shirt, the bright sunlight streaming in through the windows and finding himself to be unsurprised at seeing Mason shuffling around the small kitchen.

He was told, after all, the previous night that Mason liked to cook. ‘Hey.’

Mason paused, looking up at the sound of footsteps and someone greeting him, and a smile formed on his lips as Theo sat down on one of the stools, staring with a frown at Mason’s colorful Christmas sweater.

‘Hey, morning,’ he said, in that same cheerful tone that he always seemed to have. ‘Up already? Did you sleep well?’

‘Uh…’ Theo rubbed his eyes, registering the questions slowly one after the other before answering and taking notice of the pan on the stove and the plate with food standing on the counter next to it. ‘I guess…’ he decided not to tell Mason that, yet again, he had been up half the night, he didn’t feel like the guy needed to know that. ‘Are you making pancakes? And… Coffee?’ His gaze slid over to the coffee machine behind Mason eagerly.

‘Hmm, yeah,’ Mason grinned, looking over his shoulder at him before flipping over a pancake. ‘The fuel of writers, isn’t?’ he joked. ‘I like making breakfast in the morning and Liam likes pancakes, so it’s a lucky coincidence there. Though Corey is more of an egg fan, so if you prefer that too I will probably get to it later.’

Theo stayed silent, taking in Mason’s hard work as he looked around the kitchen, the box with eggs already waiting to be used on the kitchen counter, as Mason placed a full cup of coffee down in front of him. Complete with milk and sugar and everything. He bit his lip, warming his hands up wrapping them around the mug. ‘Thank you.’

Mason smiled, nodding and telling him: ‘You have to eat at least something before going to the leasing office,’ before going back to the pancakes, and Theo took a careful first sip of the hot beverage, enjoying the smell of it and warming his belly.

The truth was, at home, Theo never really cooked such an excessive breakfast for himself, he usually just went with a quick cup of coffee and sometimes a single piece of toast or bowl of cereal. Breakfast had never really been his thing, he never really saw the point of eating big breakfasts before he had to run to be somewhere, and he never felt like he could stomach that much food in the morning.

But he guessed he could see the appeal of it during his vacation, for a change.

‘How many pancakes do you want?’ Mason asked, interrupting his thoughts as he already placed a plate with two blueberry pancakes in front of Theo.

Theo’s eyes widened, grabbing his knife and fork in surprise of how much trouble Mason had gone through with all this. ‘This is fine,’ he muttered, taking a bite before looking up with his eyebrows raised skeptically. ‘Is there enough time to eat all of this?’ he asked. ‘Won’t we have to leave in a little bit?’

Mason snorted, looking over his shoulder at him as if he’d grown a second head. ‘Don’t worry about that,’ he said, chuckling. ‘Corey’s still just getting ready, and Liam’s never even out of bed till at least ten p.m.’

Theo grimaced, taking another bite of his pancakes and ignoring how good they tasted. ‘That’s, uh, that’s good to know,’ he muttered, another wave of annoyance washing over him as the realization that it would not only be later for them to visit the leasing office hit him. Damn. He just wanted the peace and quiet of the chalet back that had been there when he arrived here, without the presence of three other boys much more cheerful than anything he’d like right now.

Mason chuckled, taking a bite from a pancake he’d placed on a plate for himself leaning against the counter. ‘It’s fine,’ he said. ‘There’ll be enough time to go to the leasing office, I think they’ll be open all day,’ he chuckled, seemingly to having read Theo’s thoughts, and Theo nodded slowly.

‘So…’ he started, only pausing to take another sip from his coffee. ‘Do you guys all have Christmas sweaters?’

He couldn’t help the slight disdainful tone clouding his voice, as he’d never seen the appeal of the obnoxiously bright and colorful sweaters that were only good to be worn once a year, but Mason just chuckled.

‘Yeah!’ he said cheerfully. ‘It’s the perfect time of year for them. I think Liam actually even packed two.’

Theo felt his nose scrunch up in distaste, unable to help it, and Mason giggled. ‘Not a fan of Christmas, huh? Don’t worry, no one is gonna make you wear one,’ he said, before he glanced over at Theo, a frown replacing his smile. ‘Are you not cold like that, though?’ he asked, wrapping his hands around his coffee mug and nodding towards Theo’s short sleeves and bare feet on the wooden floor. ‘I can fix up the fire a bit if you want.’

Theo shrugged, taken aback by Mason’s offer though the cold didn’t really bother him, though his chances of replying when interrupted as Corey walked into the room.

Also, in a Christmas sweater. Theo didn’t know what was happening, and he rolled his eyes shortly.

‘Hey babe,’ Corey greeted Mason, walking towards him and giving him a light kiss on his lips before turning the stove, Theo’s eyes widening at the movement, he had not expected that. ‘Hmm, that smells great! You’re gonna make me some eggs later?’

‘Thanks,’ Mason grinned cheerfully, returning his kiss. ‘And hell yeah!,’ he said and Corey nodded smiling, turning towards Theo.

‘Morning!’ he greeted him, taking the stool next to him. ‘I see you already have some. Don’t worry, I just saw Liam in the hallway, though he still looked like he was just waking up. He’s getting ready to go though.’

Theo nodded, something about that statement not sitting right with him especially after Mason’s comment about how late Liam liked to get up, and he finished the last sip of his coffee, continuing with his pancakes. He felt like he couldn’t really enjoy them now though, with Corey’s comment in his head, when Liam shuffled into the living room, dressed in the third Christmas sweater that day but clearly still just rolled out of bed with his hair a mess and his eyes heavy with sleep, and Theo sighed, a wave of annoyance washing over him that drowned out any thought of Liam looking cute like that completely.

Liam walked straight towards the coffee machine, muttering a quiet _good morning_ before pouring himself a cup of coffee and leaning against the counter, sipping it.

Theo guessed Mason wasn’t lying when he said Liam wasn’t a morning person, and he wondered how much longer this would take. Quietly he thought to himself that maybe it would benefit everybody if he bought Liam another cup of coffee on their way to the leasing office, and Corey and Mason shot him an apologetic look.

With a soft sigh Theo dropped his knife and fork, leaving his pancakes half eaten behind, and slid off his bar stool. ‘I’m just gonna get dressed,’ he muttered, letting everybody know where he was going before walking up the stairs, Mason and Corey giving him a short nod.

In his room, Theo was quick to pull on a sweater and some pants, socks and shoes, before going downstairs again. When he walked back to the kitchen Liam looked considerably more awake already after finishing his coffee, and he looked towards Theo with a smile.

‘You ready to go?’ he asked.

‘Yeah,’ Theo breathed, _finally_ , walking to the door after Liam after snooping one last bite from his pancakes, because honestly, they were _really_ good. He only paused once Corey spoke up behind them and said: ‘In the meantime as you’re gone, we’ll, uh, go pack our groceries and clothes from yesterday so we can leave right away when you come back. I hope they can get us a different chalet.’

At this, Theo felt a bit bad, realizing that he was essentially forcing them out of the chalet _that they had rented as well_ , when they had no real place to go to if their visit at the leasing office didn’t work out, except home, and he wondered if he had been too harsh with them yesterday.

He pushed the thought away though, simply nodding at Mason and Corey before walking after Liam to the hallway, where he followed the man’s lead of putting on his coat and scarf. Upon seeing Liam put on a beanie over his messy hair, his hair sticking out from under it, Theo felt a bit taken aback by the quick passing thought of the cuteness of it. He was quick to push the thought back to his mind again though, staring over at Liam with the silent question if he was ready in his eyes, and Liam leaned down to grab his photo camera from his backpack still standing by the door before giving a short nod in response, a smile playing at his lips.

Theo nodded, pulling the front door open. ‘Let’s go,’ he said, stepping out into the snow and welcoming the cool winter air that he had always loved blowing in his face.

Liam smiled, following after him and pulling the door shut. ‘Let’s go,’ he repeated, before catching up to him and walking down the path in the front yard to the street next to Theo.

*****

‘Closed!?’ Liam exclaimed, pulling at the closed sign on the door of the leasing office and turning towards Theo with a huff. ‘I can’t believe they’re closed. Mason read online that they’d be open all day.’

Theo bit his lip, stuffing his hands inside his pockets and shivering a bit in the cold wind blowing around his head as he peered inside. ‘Well…’ he muttered, narrowing his eyes. ‘Looks like there’s only three people working in this establishment anyway, and the person supposed to be in today is sick. Don’t know what I expected from such a small town,’ he mumbled, stepping away from the door as a wave of annoyance washed over and a sinking feeling settled in his stomach, heavy and uneasy, as he tried desperately to figure out what this meant.

What where they gonna do now? Would he have to leave the chalet? He… Did not want to do that. A annoyed sigh slipped past his lips, not even aware that it did, and upon hearing it Liam turned to him, his lips tilted downward.

‘Theo, I’m sorry,’ he started, in a small pitiful voice, regret clouding his tone and letting Theo know that he was sincere. ‘I’m so sorry.’

Theo stared at the other man with wide eyes, not having expected that kind of response at their unlucky discovery. Liam let out a soft sigh, turning with his hands in his pockets. ‘We’ll… We’ll leave when we get back to the chalet,’ he continued, with his gaze directed at the ground. Theo scrambled to catch up with him. ‘After all, you really were there first. It’s only fair.’

At that, Theo stayed silent as he considered Liam’s words, a guilty feeling washing over him and settling heavily in the pit of his stomach, and he swallowed as he shuffled after Liam back the way they came from through the snow.

Honestly, he hadn’t expected Liam to be so willingly to just pack up and go home now, now that there wasn’t another chalet available for them. Half of Theo kind of wanted him to put up a fight, to put his foot down for the chalet and say that they weren’t going anywhere. Being annoyed with the other guys and having to fight with them over the chalet came honestly easier to him than this heavy feeling of guilt that Theo had right now.

Next to him, Liam let out a resolute sigh and looked up, forcing a smile towards him. ‘So,’ he asked, striking up conversation even though Theo was pretty sure that he shouldn’t have to, and he swallowed. ‘What are you gonna do at the chalet when you get back? Writer’s retreat?’

Theo bit his lip. ‘Eh, no, I’m just… On a vacation,’ he admitted. ‘Relaxing and shit, though if I get an idea then I guess I’m lucky. But I would also like to just take a few walks and see a bit of the town.’

He looked up, an awkward chuckle escaping his lips as he gestured towards the buildings, all the decorations on the houses and the Christmas tree on the market square. ‘That is… If this didn’t look like Who-Ville personified,’ he said, biting his lips.

Liam laughed, a cloudy white breath escaping his mouth. ‘You don’t like Christmas then?’

Theo shrugged, averting his gaze as the memories of all past Christmases hit him. He could still the voice of his mom screaming at his dad clearly in his head, or the sound of her crying in the bedroom when she thought no one could hear her because Tara wasn’t there. Theo swallowed, pushing back the sour taste in his mouth. ‘I guess not really…’ he mumbled, his shoulders hunched.

‘Wow, then this really is the wrong town for you,’ Liam chuckled next to him, interrupting his thoughts. Theo looked up, to Liam’s eyes shining at all the Christmas spirit hanging around them. He raised his eyebrows. ‘Tell me about it,’ he responded bitterly, shoving his hands deeper in his pockets. ‘I didn’t know it would be like this. Though if you think this is bad, then you clearly haven’t seen the convenience store yet.’

Immediately, Liam’s eyes widened and Theo’s eyebrows raised, slowing his step as he was hit with the thought that he _really shouldn’t have said that_.

‘Why, what’s there?’ Liam asked with a grin.

A soft groan spilled past Theo’s lips as Liam already took a detour from their way home and walked across the street towards the store. Reluctantly, sighing, Theo went after him, towards that dreadful convenience store again where he bought his dinner yesterday and pathetically cheesy and over the top Christmas decorations lined the shelves.

Somehow, he thought Liam would think it paradise when he set foot in the store.

‘Hm, that reminds me, by the way,’ Liam said when Theo caught up with him, interrupting his thoughts. ‘I still have to take some pictures of the town for the magazine, and this is perfect!’

Laughing he walked inside, but Theo froze, right by the door, at his comment.

Liam did say, yesterday, that he had work to do here, just like him. Theo swallowed, another wave of guilt hitting him. _What was this situation that they had even ended up in?_

‘Uh… What is that job, exactly?’ he asked, stepping further inside and walking after Liam as he wandered over to a shelf with Christmas ornaments, the click of the other man’s photo camera reaching his ears.

Liam turned, smiling, seemingly in awe of all that he saw around him. ‘ _Town And Country_ is promoting this town as a Christmas getaway,’ he explained. ‘Can’t do that without photo’s.’ His smile faltered a bit before returning fully again and Theo blinked, taking a step backwards. ‘I can’t let my boss down completely.’

Theo frowned, turning away and walking over to a table with tiny plush Santa’s to hang in the Christmas tree. Lost in thought he grabbed one out of the box, turning it over in his hands, because of course Liam didn’t give this job to himself and there was a boss waiting for results, when he caught Liam taking more pictures of the aisles and the decorations from the corner of his eye.

‘Have you… Been a photographer for long?’ he asked quietly, stepping up beside Liam and taking a look at the small wooden deer to put up in front of the window as decoration. _Ridiculous._

‘Uhm…. About a year and a half, I think,’ Liam said, looking over at him. Theo swore he could see something sad in his eyes, something painful and vulnerable, and Liam sighed. ‘I’ve always kinda loved it, but my ex-boyfriend worried that… I wouldn’t earn enough money as a photographer.’

At that, Theo’s head snapped up, looking over at Liam and he narrowed his eyes. ‘Is that why he’s your ex-boyfriend?’ he asked, a hint of bitterness sounding through his voice before he could stop himself.

Liam’s eyes widened, the boy looking stunned at the question for a moment, before the realization of the joke settled and he snorted. A grin spread on his face, his eyes shining as he laughed. ‘Wow, that’s…’ he chuckled. ‘That’s one way of looking at it, isn’t it?’

Theo stayed silent, watching the smile slip from Liam’s face again and the other man sighed, looking down to where he was fidgeting with the cord of his camera hanging around his neck. ‘That’s not what happened,’ he muttered. ‘Brett and I… We just, agreed to break up at some point, mutually. It didn’t work anymore for us.’ Liam took in a deep breath, looking up at Theo. ‘So we agreed it would be better like this. But that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t still hurt.’

Theo remained silent at that, wondering in shock why the boy would even tell him something so personal when they barely knew each other, but as he looked up he saw the pained look in Liam’s eyes that matched the words he spoke.

He sighed softly looking down, not knowing what to do with this sudden information, though he understood. He understood where Liam was coming from, and why he would cut someone who’d hurt him out of his life.

‘If you say it’s better, than it likely is,’ he muttered, memories of him doing the same with his parents hitting him hard. He glanced up again, having no trouble recognizing the silent question in Liam’s eyes, the other man wanted him to elaborate, but Theo swallowed, the thought of it alone had his breath caught in his throat.

Liam smiled, turning and gesturing for him to stroll further through the shop again, when a voice from behind them interrupted them.

‘Back again so soon?’ Melissa laughed, as they turned around to her. ‘I’ve gotta be honest, I didn’t expect you would after last time.’

Theo opened his mouth to say something, maybe to agree with her, when Liam cut him off with a laugh. ‘This store is amazing!’ he said with a wide smile growing on his face, gesturing eagerly towards all the Christmas decorations surrounding them.

Melissa chuckled in response. ‘Always nice to hear,’ she said, before glancing between Liam and Theo, a questioning look in her eyes. ‘Is he a friend of yours that came to visit?’ she asked, nodding towards Liam.

‘Eh…’ Theo managed, as Liam looked at him expectantly. ‘No, the, eh, chalet got double-booked,’ Theo explained. ‘And the leasing office we went to is closed today.’

‘Oh,’ Melissa frowned. ‘That is unfortunate. Though, the more the merrier, right?’ she said with her smile returning to her face.

Unfortunate, didn’t even begin to cover it, Theo thought. He turned with a sigh, strolling past the shelves, as he heard Liam ask Melissa behind him if it was okay that he had taken some pictures from her store.

‘It’s for _Town And Country_ , the travelling magazine I work for,’ he explained. ‘We’re promoting Beacon Hills as a sort of Christmas getaway, for during the holidays.’

‘Of course,’ Melissa replied sweetly, as Theo followed their interaction from a distance. ‘That sounds lovely. Though, in that case, you might want to check out the small stable around the corner too. There are horses there.’

Liam’s eyes widened, and Theo froze, making his way back to them. ‘Hold on,’ he started, beginning to feel a bit alarmed by whatever this town did on Christmas tourism, if that was even a thing. ‘There are stables?’

Melissa nodded proudly, and Liam turned to him, his lips curled into a smile. ‘We’re going,’ he said determinedly and, like yesterday at dinner, Theo knew that the man wouldn’t let him have a choice and take no for an answer.

A defeated sigh escaped his lips at the words, as Liam already thanked Melissa for letting him take the photos and hurried towards the exit, and he followed him out of the store.

*****

Theo had always sort of liked horses, though of course in the city there was never really a chance to see them from up close.

But, of course, his simple liking for horses didn’t live up to Liam’s love for them, the other man smiling as he brushed the animal’s nose and took the occasional picture of them every now and then.

‘See?’ he laughed. ‘Not so scary.’

‘Didn’t say it was,’ Theo muttered in response, scratching the brown horse standing in front of him through her manes.

Liam nodded, brushing his horse over his neck before a more serious look settled on his face, and he looked over at Theo. ‘So…’ he started, biting his lip curiously. ‘How come you don’t like Christmas?’ A chuckle escaped his lips. ‘Seems kind of a… Must, for a vacation in this town.’

Theo swallowed. ‘Tell me about it,’ he muttered, glancing up at Liam as all his reasons flooded his mind again, making his shoulders tense. ‘I just… Never really got into it, I guess.’

He kept it vague purposely, as it wasn't completely untrue, and Liam nodded slowly, the understanding look clear in his eyes. ‘Well, maybe this town will change that,’ he chuckled, keeping their conversation light. ‘Seems like a perfect opportunity to me.’

Theo shrugged, turning away. ‘We’ll see,’ he responded non-committedly, not really planning to take that opportunity that Liam spoke of.

Liam chuckled in amusement at his words. ‘In this town, you don’t stand a chance,’ he laughed softly.

Theo stayed silent for a moment, nodding towards the way they come from. ‘Should we go back?’ he asked.

‘Uh, yeah, hang on,’ Liam mumbled. He smiled as he brushed the horse over his nose once more, and took a few last pictures before turning and hurrying to follow after Theo through the snow.

As he did, Theo couldn’t help but catch a glimpse of the picture that showed on the small screen of Liam’s camera, and his eyes widened in surprise.

‘Those pictures you just took are really amazing,’ he managed, as they strolled further through the snow back to the chalet, next to each other.

Liam smiled. ‘Thank you. It’s not really enough variety, but it’ll have to do.’

Theo swallowed, staring down at his feet with his hands stuffed in his pockets. He stayed silent for a moment, the familiar feeling of guilt that started this morning washing over him again, before he looked up again. ‘Can I ask you something?’ he asked quietly.

Liam shrugged, smiling. ‘Go ahead.’

Theo bit his lip, staying silent for a moment as he thought of the best way to say this. ‘Why did you… I mean, why are you so okay with leaving again when you only arrived yesterday? Shouldn’t you say that you paid for this chalet too and that you have a right to stay?’

Liam shrugged, averting his gaze. ‘I guess… You were there first, after all. And sometimes you have to take other people into account a bit.’

Theo’s eyes widened a bit, as he considered Liam’s words. ‘But what were you planning on getting out of this vacation?’ he pressed, and a soft sigh escaped Liam’s lips.

‘Well, getting enough photos for the magazine is one thing,’ he said, looking up. ‘And… I told you I broke up with Brett, like, two weeks before Christmas. I guess I needed a break from that too.’

Theo couldn’t help the groan that escaped his lips at that and he paused, stopping in his tracks as he let in the realization that this just wasn’t fair, that had slowly been growing stronger since they found out the leasing office was closed. ‘Okay,’ he started resolutely, wanting to just get this over with. He swallowed, turning to Liam. ‘Why don’t we… Both stay?’

Liam froze, raising his head as his eyes widened slowly, and Theo could see the disbelieving look settle in his eyes. ‘What?’

He sighed. ‘We’re all there anyway, we all paid for the chalet, and as it happens I don’t want to stay there just because “I was there first”,’ Theo said bitterly.

It was true, he didn’t feel right anymore about kicking the guys out now that they couldn’t get another chalet, even though it was exactly what he previously would have done.

Liam stayed silent, staring at Theo with narrowed eyes as he bit his lip in consideration of his words. ‘Are you serious?’ he asked. ‘Would you let us stay and room with strangers?’

Theo sighed, tearing his gaze away from Liam and turning, walking further through the snow. Behind him he heard Liam hurry to catch up with him. ‘Why not?’ he sighed, looking over at him. ‘Like I said, the payments are already done. It would be like throwing your money away.’

Theo watched as a wide smile formed on Liam’s face, reaching his eyes and brightening them up and Theo ignored the small flutter that it caused in his stomach.

‘Oh my God, thank you!’ Liam exclaimed, his smile never fading. ‘Thank you, you won’t regret it!’ He took a deep breath, calming himself a bit before he continued, to all the things that they had to keep in mind for rooming together. ‘So, paint me a picture,’ he said. ‘How is this gonna go? We… Keep the rooms we’re in now, you can stay upstairs, and…?’

Theo bit the inside of his cheek in thought, continuing on through the snow. ‘We’ll split the costs for the groceries,’ he said. ‘Mason can still cook if he wants, we can do the cleaning up together, and… You have to let me work in peace.’

Liam nodded, a sparkle in his eyes as he feigned seriousness. ‘Of course,’ he said, a hint of over-exaggeration sounding through his voice. ‘Your deadlines are very important.’

‘They are,’ Theo grumbled, letting Liam know that he was serious, not liking the way the other boy seemed to joke around with him.

Liam nodded. ‘Okay. Clear. But: we get a Christmas tree, and decorations.’

At that, Theo’s head snapped up, a new feeling of dread already flooding through him at the mention of decorations. ‘Absolutely not. No tree.’

Liam frowned. ‘You really are a Grinch,’ he grumbled, 'Trees are supposed to be a part of Christmas,' and Theo swallowed, lowering his eyes. Liam looked up, biting his lip. ‘How about this then: you get to play Scrooge upstairs, but we at least get to hang up a few decorations downstairs. They even promised it would be decorated and it’s not.’

Theo remained silent, turning Liam’s words over in his head. He was already letting them stay, why couldn’t that just be enough?

On the other hand, though, Liam and his friends had paid for certain expectations, and it was him who got rid of all the decorations. Just because he didn’t like Christmas, didn’t mean they didn’t as well, as he had concluded earlier.

‘Fine,’ he grumbled. As long as it didn’t make it the way up the stairs, he guessed it would be okay.

A wide smile spread over Liam’s face, making his eyes sparkle. ‘Thank you! Again, you won’t regret!’ he exclaimed, as the chalet rose up in front of them again halfway down the street. Theo sighed, stuffing his hands deeper in his pocket.

As of right now, he wasn’t so sure he wouldn’t. Rooming in a holiday chalet in actual Christmas town, with three holiday fanatics. He swallowed at the thought. He really wouldn’t stand a chance here, would he?

*****

Mason and Corey seemed taken aback upon hearing they would be staying, and Theo couldn’t blame them. It wasn’t exactly the most conventional idea, but he wouldn’t make them leave after paying already.

After hearing their reasoning though, Mason and Corey understood, and didn’t bring up too many problems with the plan they had.

‘I think it could work,’ Corey said, looking over at Mason. ‘Guess we’ll be unpacking again then.’

The other boy nodded, leaning forward over the little bar separating the kitchen from the living room. ‘Yeah,’ he said, with a soft smile. ‘Looks like it. But first: who wants tea!? I think we could all do with a bit of relaxation.’

Theo sighed, crossing his arms. There were some true words right there, he thought.

‘I do,’ Liam said. ‘I think all of us.’

Mason nodded, smiling, and turned around, turning the kettle on for them. Corey gave a short nod, sending Theo a smile. ‘Glad to hear we can stay,’ he said, well-meant.

Theo nodded shortly in return, not bothering to stop the small smile that wormed its way onto his face. He couldn't help but think back to Melissa's words from earlier, _the more the merrier_ , and thought that maybe there was some truth in those words too.

It wasn’t long before the water was boiled, the tea ready, and Theo made his way back to the couch with his hands wrapped around his mug to warm them up, more relaxed than he’d been since that morning.

Mason and Corey sat down at the table, talking softly, though Liam didn’t hesitate to sit down on the opposite couch and turned on the TV . Theo reached for his book, sipping from his tea that warmed his belly, and concentrated on the story again as the soft noises from the film Liam was watching filled the room, that he now figured were actually better to have in the background than the complete silence had he been here alone, and nestled back against the couch again warmly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked that! Let me know what you think, comments make my day! :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise new chapter! I have struggled with this a bit... Still not completely sure about this

# 'Theo, we're going out for hot chocolate! Do you want to come with us!?'

Liam waited for an answer at the bottom of the stairs, having called up to Theo sitting his room, and it took the other man only a moment before he shouted his reply. 

'Just a moment!' 

A snort escaped Liam’s mouth and he looked over his shoulder at Mason and Corey as footsteps shuffled around on the floor above their heads, and Theo appeared on the hallway looking out over them from over the wooden railing. 

'Sorry, what?' 

Liam chuckled, amused. 'We're going for hot chocolate,' he repeated. 'Do you wanna join us?' 

At that, Theo seemed taken aback and Liam’s smile only faltered a little bit, before the other man nodded. ‘Sure, let me just grab my gloves,’ he replied before he disappeared again and Liam let his frown form on his face, still not liking the way Theo seemed to be surprised about something as simple as even being included. 

Didn't Theo know better by now, after literally living together for a whole day already? Being on a vacation together meant doing things together as well. Theo was part of the club now too. 

When the other man came down the stairs again, Liam shrugged on his coat and stepped outside after Mason and Corey, waiting for Theo to follow them and pull the front door shut behind him. 

With a smile, Liam fell into step beside him, focusing on all the Christmas decorations hung up around them high-lighted by the yellow light of the streetlamps and the string-lights over their heads. 

‘So, where are we going?’ Theo asked as they turned around the corner, pulling on his gloves. 

Mason looked over his shoulder, sending him a smile. ‘To the market square, probably. There’s bound to be some cafes open there.’ 

Theo nodded, averting his gaze and following Mason’s gaze towards the heavily decorated streets, a frown forming clear on his face. Liam chuckled, drawing Theo’s attention back to him. ‘It’s just a hot chocolate,’ he assured him, unable to hold back his laugh when in response Theo muttered: ‘In the middle of a Christmas invasion.’ 

Honestly, ever since their failed trip to the leasing office that morning, Liam couldn’t help but start to wonder why Theo seemed to dislike Christmas so much. It had to be for a reason, surely it didn’t just happen without a logical explanation. If he didn’t want to say it then Liam wasn’t gonna press and make everybody uncomfortable, but he hoped he would hear the reason from Theo later. Whatever it was, it seemed to affect Theo quite a bit, and Liam thought that no one should be alone during the holidays. 

‘Oh, look, there’s still more than enough to choose from!’ Mason’s voice interrupted his thoughts, as he turned around and looked at them expectantly, nodding towards the several cafes surrounding them. ‘Which one should we go to?’ 

Liam stayed silent, looking around as he wrapped his arms around himself in an attempt to keep himself warm. It may be fucking cold outside that late afternoon, but the magic of the market place in Beacon Hills surely made up for that. 

The streetlamps and the Christmas lights hanging around the fronts of the houses and cafes lit up the market square beautifully, illuminating his friends’ faces alike and soaking the place in a bright yellow light, as it just started to snow softly again. Liam smiled, turning, and swore he could even see a quick look of wonder on Theo’s face at the sight of it. 

‘We should go to that one in the back,’ Corey nodded towards it with a smile. ‘That looks nice.’ 

Curiously, Liam followed his gaze towards a small, cozy-looking café with a wooden terrace and string-lights in front of the windows, and a warm feeling filled his stomach at the sight. He couldn’t help his smile widening on his face. 

‘Yeah,’ he agreed, as they made their way over to the café through the snow. ‘Let’s do that.’ 

It was warm inside, a pleasant change from the cold outside, and Liam unwrapped his scarf from his neck as they were friendly greeted by their server. She led them over to a table for four by the window, a little more towards the back, before bringing them their menu’s and leaving them alone again. 

‘Look, they have something like white chocolate or caramel too!’ Mason grinned, looking up over the edge of his menu from where he was sitting across the table next to Corey. ‘Multiple hot chocolate choices… Nice,’ a happy grin flashing wide on the boy’s face. 

Liam snorted, looking over at Theo. ‘Something you should know about him: Mason’s a big hot chocolate addict,’ he chuckled, jumping a little when Mason kicked his foot under the table, laughing. ‘On the condition that it’s made well, of course,’ he grinned. 

‘Of course, how could I forget?’ Liam grinned, as Corey turned to Theo. 

‘We all are,’ he said, explaining their preference for hot chocolate to him. Liam nodded, turning to Theo feeling a bit bad that he forgot his explanation to him. 

‘That’s, uh, good to know,’ Theo muttered, opening his menu to let his gaze wander over the options, and Liam smiled. He focused on his menu, reading the options before making his choice, and looking up again. 

‘So what are you guys ordering?’ he asked, glancing over at Theo and breaking the silence before he looked around the table. 

‘White chocolate!’ Mason said cheerfully as Corey muttered a quieter ‘cinnamon’ and Liam nodded, looking over at Theo and studying the concentrated frown on the other boy’s face with a small smile, something warm and all too familiar fluttering in his stomach. Liam swallowed, pushing the feeling deep down. 

‘Uhm… I like the… Caramel, with marshmallows on top.’ 

Theo looked up, closing his menu and placing it in front of him, and Liam chuckled. ‘Festive,’ he smirked, as it wasn’t really what he was expecting from. It didn’t really line up with Theo’s disdain of the holidays so far. 

‘Yeah, well,’ Theo shrugged, ‘It’s just a drink,’ he said, downplaying the fact that he chose one of the most festive hot chocolates listed on the menu. Liam chuckled, he didn’t buy it. 

‘Well,’ Corey broke the silence then, slapping his menu shut and looking up. ‘I don’t know about you, but I’m gonna order some cake with that hot chocolate as well.’ 

At his comment, Liam looked up, his stomach rumbling in response as he thought that he could do with a bit of that too. ‘Seriously, you’ve got to stop putting these ideas in my head,’ he laughed, sending Corey a feigned warning glare, ‘Or else we should all put losing weight on our new year’s resolution list.’ 

Corey snorted, waiting for their waitress to stop by. ‘I don’t think we’re quite that bad yet,’ he commented with a chuckle, before they put their orders in. 

The waitress smiled, writing everything down and only taking a few moments to deliver their orders to them, placing their mugs along with the slices of cake in front of them and wishing them a good meal. It wasn’t until she walked away again, that Mason continued the conversation. 

‘This town is so cute,’ he sighed, staring out of the foggy glass of the window with his chin resting in his hand, towards the bright lights outside. 

Corey chuckled, looking at his boyfriend fondly before humming in agreement, staring at the boy beside him for a moment too long with a sparkle in his eyes. ‘Hmm, we should take a walk tomorrow,’ he suggested, ‘See what else there is that we can do here.’ 

At that, Liam’s eyes widened, a wave of excitement washing over him as he remembered all the things he and Theo had accidentally done today on their trip to the leasing office. ‘Oh yeah,’ he started, ‘There’s a really cool inconvenience store here and on the way back we visited the horse table, and we still need a Christmas tree…’ Just as Theo muttered: ‘I guess our opinions there differ a little sometimes,’ referring back to Mason’s comment about the town. 

The conversation came to a pause then, the silence hanging over them for just a moment before Liam turned to Theo curiously, a soft snort escaping his mouth, and Corey let out a chuckle. 

‘Right,’ he said softly, taking a sip from his hot chocolate and wrapping his hands around the mug as he placed it back on the table. ‘I forgot you don’t like Christmas,’ he continued, the question already written on his face before he even got a chance to ask. ‘Why is that?’ 

At the question, Theo’s eyes widened a bit, lowering his eyes as he swallowed and wrapped his hands around his mug, giving a non-committal shrug. ‘I guess I… I just never really got into it,’ he muttered vaguely, glancing up again as Liam shot Mason and Corey a worried look, a concerned, curious feeling burning in his chest. 

He guessed this had to do with the same thing that Theo kept private about himself all along, like the night before when Corey asked what inspired his first book, and though Liam couldn’t deny that he was curious to hear the answer to Corey’s question, he wouldn’t press and risk making Theo uncomfortable. Not if it was something personal for him. Maybe, eventually, he would let them know. 

‘So,’ Theo continued, looking up more cheerful again as he changed the subject into something a bit more easy for them. ‘Why are you guys here? Didn’t you want to visit your families during the holidays?’ 

‘Ah,’ Liam chuckled, putting the little fork that came with his cake down, as Theo looked over at him at his reply. ‘My job kinda got in the way, as you know, and I guess we wanted to try something a little different this year,’ he said, looking over at Mason and Corey with a smile, as they nodded at Liam’s words in confirmation. ‘I guess we got lucky my boss would let us all go. Besides,’ he continued with a smirk, glancing over at his friends before looking back at Theo. ‘I’ve known these guys forever, they’re practically my family too. And… When it’s actually Christmas, I’ll be sure to Skype my parents to wish them a merry Christmas.’ 

Theo nodded, looking down at the words and pricking at his plate with his fork for a bit, and Liam studied his expression curiously, a worried feeling washing over him as Theo seemed lost in thought, a frown clear on his face. Liam bit his lip, wondering what it was that was troubling Theo, whether it was something he’d said. He hadn’t meant to startle the other man, not knowing what was going on inside his head. 

He and his mom were pretty close, they always had been, and Liam’s stepdad had been a perfect addition to their family, growing even happier after he joined. He felt it had always been pretty close to perfect, the three of them together. He couldn’t wait to see them this Christmas, even if it was through a computer screen. 

Liam couldn’t imagine it being any other way, if that was what was going on here with Theo, with the way he seemed to go quiet whenever family was brought up and the way he was here in the chalet all alone, by himself. Whatever that was, it couldn’t be much fun, and Liam wondered if he could help with anything, whatever it was. 

‘What about you?’ Corey asked softly then, interrupting Liam’s thoughts as he looked over to Mason and Corey carrying on the conversation on their own. ‘You said you were here to write, but are you gonna go home for the holidays?’ 

Liam looked over at Theo, at the pained look that formed in the man’s eyes, his hands squeezing around his mug as he took in a breath, and bit his lip. ‘No, uh, my… My parents are divorced,’ he managed quietly, looking down and avoiding their gazes, and Liam felt a sharp pang of guilt in his chest. He swallowed, hit with the realization that he’d been right, that he’d hit the nail on its head and that this was about family for Theo. 

Theo sighed, tapping his fingers on the edge of the table as he glanced up. ‘It’s, eh, actually been a while since I talked to either of them,’ he continued, admitting to it with a laugh that only sounded sad to Liam’s ears. He remembered the night before, seeing Theo slumped forward in his desk chair as he invited him for dinner, and a regretful feeling burned in his chest. 

It stayed silent for a moment around the table, Theo lowered his eyes as he played with the little spoon in his mug, the soft ticking noise of it being the only sound for a moment. 

‘I’m sorry,’ Corey interrupted the silence then, quietly, as he looked over at Theo in guilt. ‘I shouldn’t have pried, I…’ 

‘It’s fine,’ Theo interrupted him, louder this time, as he looked up and let out a determined sigh. ‘You didn’t know.’ 

Corey stayed silent for a moment, narrowing his eyes at Theo as he tried to work out whether he was really serious about it. ‘Are you sure?’ 

Theo bit his lip, nodding. ‘You didn’t know,’ he repeated, as Corey stayed quiet for a moment studying him, before a smile formed on his face, his eyes brightening. ‘Okay,’ he laughed, his relief sounding clear through his voice, as he leaned back and relaxed in his seat. 

‘Besides,’ Theo said, as the corner of his lip turned up slightly and Liam watched the first small smile since they went out form on his face. ‘I… I guess it felt kinda good to talk about it, and get that off my chest,’ he admitted shyly. 

Liam’s chest swelled, a sudden proud feeling washing over him, and Mason smiled, sympathetically. ‘Right,’ he said. ‘Glad to hear you feel like you can.’ 

Theo’s smile widened slightly at that, taking Liam by surprise as Theo didn’t seem to be all too willing to give them up until now, and took a sip from his hot chocolate. Liam followed his lead, doing the same, and took a look around the café as he let the drink warm his belly. It was a small café, the warmth inside forming a nice contrast with the cold outside, and Liam loved how old-school it looked, a big part of the building made with wood. He thought he should convince the rest to come here more often, during their holiday. 

When Corey spoke up again, breaking the comfortable silence at their table, Liam looked around again, away from the window, to follow the rest of the conversation. ‘So, aside from your vacation, do you have any plans for new books yet?’ he asked, the curious tone sounding genuine through his voice. ‘That’s another reason you’re here, right?’ 

Theo coughed, leaning forward and avoiding Corey’s gaze as he scooped up a spoonful of whipped cream with tense shoulders. ‘Technically,’ he muttered, a frown clear on his face, and Liam frowned as he remembered seeing the empty Word document on Theo’s laptop the previous night, when he asked him to come down for dinner. That must’ve been what he was doing, trying to come up with new ideas. The fact that it was blank, had a pang of regret for the other man burning in Liam’s chest. He didn’t know what it was to be a writer, but he did know what it was like to have your head empty without any ideas, and he could imagine the difficulty of it at least a little bit. For photography, at least, it was the most frustrating thing in the world if he couldn’t get the lighting right, or if he had moved the camera during a picture, or if it was blurry or dark in any way. He could only imagine Theo feeling the same kind of frustration when his job didn’t work out for him the way he wanted it to. 

Theo shrugged, interrupting Liam’s thoughts with the movement. ‘Though, eh, it’s not really working out for me right now,’ he continued bitterly. 

Corey nodded, understandingly. ‘Well, I was just asking,’ he started, ‘Because I thought that maybe we would be able to help a little.’ 

At his words, Liam felt a smile growing on his face, wondering why he hadn’t come up with that idea but happy that Corey did, and judging by the smile on Mason’s face, the boy giving a soft nod, he agreed with it too. As Theo’s head snapped up though, his smile gone, it was enough for Liam to hesitate, and doubt Corey’s question. 

‘Have you guys ever written anything before?’ he asked. ‘Do you have experience with it?’ 

Corey seemed taken aback at that, leaning back. ‘Well… No,’ he replied slowly, seeming a little tired at Theo’s sudden burst. ‘But we do have brains, you know. You gotta give us some credit. I think we can figure something out.’ 

Mason grinned, nodding in agreement. ‘Yeah. For example, is this gonna be another horror story?’ 

Theo stayed silent for a moment, studying them curiously with narrowed eyes, before he leaned back and let out a laugh, relaxing for a bit. ‘Alright,’ he chuckled. ‘I’m sorry. I just… I don’t really know the genre yet.’ He paused for a moment, hesitating and tapping his fingers on the table, before continuing. ‘Part of me wants to do horror again, because I know how that works,’ he admitted, his voice quieter than a moment before, ‘But another part is telling me to do something new.’ 

‘You could do a crime story?’ Mason suggested. ‘Young adult?’ He grinned, his eyes sparkling mischievously. ‘…Romance?’ 

Theo snorted, a smile growing on Liam’s face at seeing the other man feeling more at ease with them. ‘Okay,’ Theo replied, scrunching his nose up in distaste. ‘That’s… No. Not for me. That’s not what I was planning.’ 

Liam bit his lip, squeezing his hands tight around his half empty mug as he looked up. ‘So you’re not the romantic type then?’ he asked, lifting his mug up and taking a sip. 

Theo coughed, his smile fading from his face. He shrugged. ‘I don’t know. Maybe. That depends. But it’s not… It’s not something I want to write about right now,’ he said, neatly steering the conversation topic back to his books. 

Liam nodded softly, turning back to Mason and Corey watching them with wide eyes. ‘Have you thought about sci-fi or fantasy?’ Mason asked, taking the hint from Theo and letting his gaze linger on Liam for a moment longer before looking back at the other man. 

Theo sighed, placing his empty mug back on the table and pushing it away, leaning back. ‘Now that might be an idea,’ he responded, nibbling on the last of his cake, ‘Because that might be a little closer to what I’m used to.’ 

Mason nodded, giving a quick answer as they dove deeper into the topic, Liam and Corey joining in as well as they let the conversation flow naturally, before they got up to pay and leave, stepping out onto the street. 

Liam shivered at the cold wind blowing around him immediately, curling deeper into his coat and pulling his scarf around his neck, already missing the warmth of the café. Expectantly, Corey turned around to them. ‘Should we go home now?’ he asked. ‘Or does anyone still want to do anything?’ 

‘You look like you’re going on a trip to the North Pole,’ Mason chuckled, grinning at Liam, before holding up his phone. ‘I found us a different way home, we can take that and see what we run into.’ 

‘Sounds good,’ Corey smiled, turning after checking Liam and Theo were okay with it, and walking into the direction Mason had marked out for them, the other boy falling in step beside him, and the two of them taking the lead. 

Liam let out a cloudy breath, putting his hands in his pockets before he looked over at Theo. ‘You okay?’ he asked softly, as they followed after his friends. 

Theo shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets as well as he shrugged, understanding the way Liam meant their discussion of his next book back at the café, in a way that Liam hoped hadn't been too much of an interrogation. ‘Yeah, I guess, fine,’ he muttered, giving a small smile in return as Liam shot him a smile, in relief. He knew they could be a little intense sometimes, glad to hear that they hadn’t talked about something Theo wouldn’t like. 

‘So what else do you like to do on vacation?’ Liam asked, picking up the conversation, as he looked up smiling. ‘Besides writing of course.’ 

‘I’m not sure writing and I are the best of friends right now,’ Theo commented bitterly, staring down at his feet. ‘But, eh, I guess sleeping, getting some rest.’ He winced in a way Liam didn’t quite understand, though he was quick to continue before he got a chance to ask. ‘Reading. Watching some movies, and… taking some walks, I guess.’ With a smile, he looked up. ‘What about you?’ 

Liam chuckled, nodding towards his friends before them. ‘Then you’re in luck,’ he said letting out a chuckle, ‘We kind of like to do the same things. Maybe board games too.’ 

Theo nodded, humming in acknowledgement as they strolled further through the snow. ‘Board games,’ Theo muttered to himself, seemingly lost in his thoughts. ‘That could be fun, yeah. Though I think it’s a bit too grandma for me.’ 

Liam snorted at that, though he couldn’t help but frown as he glanced over at Theo. Theo didn’t elaborate and to Liam, he seemed kinda closed off, clear that he had a hard time opening up to people. Liam couldn’t help but wonder why that was, what might be the reason for it, and if Theo would feel at ease enough with them to do it at some point. Liam could only imagine how lonely that must be. He might not be able to do anything about it right now, but he made sure to tell himself not to make Theo feel left out or excluded for the next two weeks they were staying together. He didn’t have to feel alone when he was with them, he thought, staring forward pensively at Mason and Corey’s backs. 

Right as he made up his mind though, gathering his courage and wanting to ask about it, Theo beat him to it and cut him off, following his gaze. 

‘Have they been together for long?’ he asked, clearing his throat and putting his hands in his pockets, taking a moment before looking back at Liam. ‘If you don’t mind me asking, though.’ 

Liam smiled, chuckling. ‘Not at all,’ he laughed, before looking back at his friends. ‘Probably… For about as long as I can remember. It’s been years now, though back when they first together, it honestly took them long enough to do it. They spent a couple weeks before they figured their shit out and did something about their feelings.’ 

Theo nodded. ‘Sounds like a hassle to have to deal with,’ he commented, raising his eyebrows as Liam burst out laughing, clutching his stomach. ‘Ah, you have no idea,’ he grinned. Theo might not mean to be funny, but the fact that he was anyway, just by being his blunt self, had Liam enjoy every time they spent together. Brett had always had the same kind of humor. Liam pushed the thought of it far away. 

Though, if he was honest with himself, beneath it he could easily see the same bitterness with which Theo spoke the words and again, he wondered what the reason was why Theo was that way. 

With a smile, he glanced over at the other man, sudden curiosity hitting him. ‘What about you?’ he asked softly, now that they were on the subject anyway. ‘Are you seeing anyone?’ 

He wasn’t sure what had come over him. 

Theo paused, stopping what he had been doing and looking over his shoulder at Liam, frowning. He took a moment, biting his lip tensely, before answering and shaking his head. ‘N-No. I’m just… Single, now.’ 

Liam nodded in understanding, shivering and needing a moment before tuning back into reality, hurrying and catching up with Theo, falling into step beside him. They walked in silence for a moment, Liam stared down at his feet leaving prints in the snow, though just as he opened his mouth, wanting to ask if there was something else Theo had in mind that he wanted to do tomorrow or where he was from, Mason and Corey came to a stop in front of them and turned around. 

‘There’s a food truck over there, that sells taco’s,’ Corey suggested with a grin, nodding further down the street towards a large truck with a line in front of it. ‘Anybody want one?’ 

Liam’s eyes widened at that, his stomach rumbling at the mention of a taco despite having had a large mug of hot chocolate and a slice of cake not even twenty minutes ago. Next to him, Theo seemed to agree with him, a slight smile forming on his face, and with that, as they started towards the truck, the decision seemed to have been made. 

The only person not happy with that outcome, though, was Mason. 

‘You wanna bet that I can make taco’s that are at least ten times better than anything that food truck can sell?’ he grumbled, stuffing his hands in his pockets with a pout, though it wasn’t long before his smile returned to his face, giving away his good mood. Liam grinned; Mason could never stay angry for long, not even if it was fake. 

‘Of course you can, babe,’ Corey laughed, planting a kiss on Mason’s cheek, and Liam snorted. Next to him, Theo frowned, stepping forward. ‘Uh, excuse me, but if that’s true then why are we still buying from the food truck instead?’ he asked with raised eyebrows, joining in on the laughter. 

Liam looked up, pleasantly surprised by the sudden effort. Corey chuckled, wrapping an arm around Mason’s shoulders. ‘Well, if, somehow, we’re still hungry after this,’ he laughed, ‘We can still do that after we get home.’ 

Mason coughed, shrugging Corey’s arm off. ‘We’d have to go to the grocery store for that again,’ he commented. ‘I don’t have any stuff for it,’ glancing at Theo’s frown, as he seemed to realize that the other man didn’t feel like setting foot in the store again so soon. ‘Let’s just do that tomorrow, okay?’ he chuckled, keeping the conversation light and continuing to the food truck. 

Corey grinned, shooting Liam and Theo a smile and waiting for them before following after Mason. Once there, Mason and Corey ordered taco’s for the four of them, which they ate close to the food truck where it was at least slightly hotter, and Liam eagerly bit into his. At feeling a pair of eyes on him he looked up, catching Theo looking at him questioningly, and he sent the other man a grin. 

They finished their taco’s quickly after that, laughing and talking together as they walked home again, Liam remembering to include Theo in their conversations and years-old inside jokes, glancing over at him smiling, and thinking back on how glad he was that Theo had agreed to come tonight. He didn’t want to exclude the other man any further, now that became clear how naturally he fit in into their little group. 

***** 

‘Hey. Mason made us all a cup of tea downstairs and I thought you could use one too.’ 

Liam smiled, leaning against the door frame holding up his mug for Theo, for where the other man had turned around in his desk chair. 

‘Yeah. Thanks.’ Theo gave a small smile, looking tired, and Liam guessed that today had worn him out. With how much had happened in one day, he thought that was only understandable, and he crossed the room to place the mug next to Theo’s laptop. 

He was only just about to leave again, wanting to close the door behind him, when Theo spoke up. ‘You… You don’t have to go, you know.’ 

Liam paused, surprised, and turned around, with a smile he only bothered to hide half. After a moment of hesitation he closed the door, walking over to sit down on the bed. ‘Didn’t you want to come downstairs anymore?’ he asked softly, smiling. 

Theo shrugged, sighing. ‘No, I… I got kinda tired,’ he admitted, biting his lip. ‘But, uh, thanks. For inviting me along. It’s been a while since I really celebrated Christmas.’ 

Liam nodded, swallowing at the sting in his chest, wondering why Theo would tell him that. ‘Yeah, sure,’ he laughed, wanting to keep the light atmosphere in the room. ‘Seems kinda pointless to me that we’re all here together and still celebrate the holidays alone. Besides, we had fun, right?’ 

Theo stayed silent for a moment, contemplating the words, before looking up with a small nod. ‘Right, I guess so, yeah,’ he started, a smirk forming on his face. ‘Strangely enough.’ 

Liam snorted at that, gasping as he feigned offense. ‘I see how it is,’ he chuckled. ‘Known each other for a day and already insulting me and my friends, now.’ 

Theo let out a soft chuckle at the comment, looking down where he fidgeted with his hands as he turned serious. ‘I think, your friends are really nice,’ he said quietly, and Liam’s cheeks heated, unable to stop his smile as his chest warmed. He nodded appreciatively, continuing as he leaned back on his hands on the bed. ‘It’s good to hear that you liked it, at least,’ he said honestly. ‘I guess quality time doesn’t always come in the way we imagine it to. Taking a break is a good thing.’ 

As it stayed silent Liam glanced over, watching as Theo looked like he was considering the words in all seriousness, as otherwise he still would’ve been up here without relaxing and enjoying himself, stressing himself out instead, and the other man gave a small smile. ‘I guess,’ he muttered quietly. 

Liam nodded, smiling as he paused and took a moment to looking around the room. There was no doubt that Theo had the biggest room of them all, a double-sized bed standing with the headboard against the wall, looking out over the closet in the corner with Theo’s half unpacked baggage in front of it, and he smiled, straightening his back. ‘So I’ve been thinking,’ he said, continuing the conversation in a lighter way. ‘When we do the groceries tomorrow, we should bring home a Christmas tree.’ 

Theo looked up at that, a questioning frown on his face, and Liam could already see the protest written clear on his face. ‘Yeah… If you want to.’ 

Liam chuckled, though really, he couldn’t help but wonder if Theo really disliked Christmas that much. ‘There’s already no decorations in the house, like we were promised!’ he exclaimed. ‘The least you can do is let us have this.’ His eyes twinkled, mischievously, as he looked up. ‘… A small one?’ he tried, pouting purposely. 

He watched as Theo’s lips twitched, the other man trying to hold back a smile that formed on his face anyway, and he let out a laugh. ‘You know how to take what you want, I’ll give you that,’ he started, grumbling. ‘Ugh. Yes! Fine. But only a small one!’ He shot Liam a warning glare. 

‘Promise,’ Liam replied, crossing his hand over his heart dramatically, as a wide grin formed on his face. Theo rolled his eyes, turning back to his cup of tea. It was only a matter of time, much as he expected, before Liam suggested that he’d come downstairs with him for a little bit, and with his chest burning Theo turned back to him, a regretful look on his face. 

‘I-I’m feeling kinda tired, I think I’m just going to bed after this,’ he admitted. ‘Sorry.’ 

Liam smiled, making to get up. ‘That’s okay, I think I’m gonna go too in a bit.’ He stood up, standing up and opening the door, turning back with his hand on the doorknob. ‘Night, Theo.’ 

Theo smiled, lifting his mug as Liam stepped out into the hallway. ‘Night Liam.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still not sure I really got Theo's character right in this chapter... What do you think?  
> Let me know, comments make my day! :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theo bonds with Mason, surprised when the boy tells him something confidential. Theo and Liam both go through a hard time during their visit to town, and help each other out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter! Sorry it took me so long! I don't think I've actually updated this since last December/January? But then, it is also called The Christmas Chalet :D  
> Enjoy! :)

The following morning went much like the first. Theo woke up to the smell of breakfast being cooked, something sweet hanging in the air as he sniffed, pancakes and toast again if he had to take a guess, and he pushed himself out of bed with surprisingly little effort for what he was used to, putting his feet on the cold wooden floor.

Yawning, with thoughts of getting the hot chocolate the night before and how lucky he was to basically have a private cook, he shuffled towards the living room, though now that he wasn’t feeling high on hot chocolate during a late afternoon and getting spontaneously invited for an activity anymore, he felt his stomach churning at the memory of telling the other boys about his parents’ divorce. It had been something so personal, he usually even made a point in avoiding the topic whenever Derek brought it up, and now here he was, just sharing it with a few strangers. He wasn’t really sure what he’d been thinking, _however nice to him those strangers may have been…_

‘Good morning!’ Mason greeted him cheerfully from where he was standing in the kitchen as he spotted him, his joyful voice snapping through Theo’s thoughts with his eyes bright, and Theo forced the corner of his lips to curl up in a way he was sure must look incredibly fake, as he wondered how anyone could even be that happy in the morning.

‘Morning,’ he uttered lowly in response, taking the stool at the breakfast bar that by now he had claimed as his, rubbing at his eyes, and barely had a chance to yawn and do anything else before a plate filled to the brim was pushed under his nose, the mouth-watering smell of the blueberry pancakes reaching his nose, shaking him at least somewhat more awake. He was sure that the mug full of coffee standing next to the plate played its part in that too.

Theo let out a breath, looking up. ‘This looks familiar,’ he said as an attempt at conversation, feeling a little lighter, some of the weight lifting off his shoulders as he took his first sip. ‘Is this gonna be a regular, daily thing?’ gesturing towards his breakfast, also referring to the fact that it seemed to have become a habit that he was here before Liam and Corey were.

At the question, Mason chuckled, turning to keep an eye on the pan on the stove. ‘It just might be,’ he laughed, shrugging. ‘I’m used to it, someone has to do it, me always being the first to wake up and all,’ a chuckle escaping his lips as he recalled saying Liam was never out of bed before ten, a small smile curling at Theo’s lips behind Mason’s back, careful to not let the boy see. ‘But, eh, it’s a good daily thing, I hope?’

Theo paused, staying silent for a moment, as he realized that Mason was glancing cautiously at him, just trying to gauge his reaction and testing the waters, and he looked back down at his plate with the corner of his lip curled up, taking a bite. It was like blueberry exploding in his mouth, sweet and some of the best pancakes he had ever had in his life, and Theo stifled a groan, so good was it. Across from him, Mason chuckled, the boy of course having noticed it anyway and taking that as a yes, and Theo’s cheeks heated as he focused on the rest of his breakfast.

Back at home, he’d never really seen the point of a big breakfast, usually just poured down a quick cup of black coffee before running out the door, and even if he did, he’d never really had the time for it. It usually resulted in him growing hungry by the time lunch break rolled around, eating more then, and his weight never really went up that way, sometimes even dropping a little more. But now, on vacation, Theo could see why some people were big on breakfast, taking pleasure in it for a change especially if it was cooked so well. Despite that, though, there was a question rolling around in the back of his mind, nagging him, as he chewed.

‘So…’ he started, quickly swallowing his bite before he continued. ‘How come you’re not doing anything more with this?’ remembering how Liam told him Mason loved to cook on the first night, and yet, despite that, worked in a grocery store.

Mason stilled, the meaning of the question seemingly not lost on him, and as he turned, he did so looking a lot more shy and uncertain than the moment before, and frankly, anything that Theo had seen of the other boy so far. For a moment, he stayed silent, his stomach heavy with guilt for asking and already opening his mouth to take the question back, when Mason spoke.

‘I… I tried once,’ he started shakily, unsurely, keeping his gaze down. ‘It didn’t go so well? They didn’t want me, I didn’t get into the school. After that it had taken a bit off my self-esteem, I thought I wasn’t good enough. I had given up cooking for a little while after that, only got back into it a year and a half ago maybe? I just… Don’t feel quite ready for anything more just yet. At the moment, I’m just cooking for Liam and Corey, and they like it. I’m kinda happy with my job at the grocery store at the moment.’

When he looked up, Theo saw the sadness reflected in Mason’s eyes, the grief for being told he wasn’t good enough at something he loved to do, he knew what that felt like and how disheartening it was, and his lips parted, ready to speak but the words getting stuck in his throat.

‘I’m sorry,’ he settled upon eventually, lowering his eyes for a moment. ‘That’s never nice. But for what it’s worth, these pancakes taste better than anything I’ve ever tasted, and if they tasted these at the school, they would let you in without a second thought.’

He played it off as a joke, the comforting thing never seemed to have become quite as familiar to him as it was to others, and something heavily nervous sat in his stomach as he waited for a reply, his clammy hands having paused by his plate where he held his knife and fork. Mason considered him, before a smile grew on his face, making his eyes crinkle.

‘Thanks man,’ he chuckled, seemingly genuine, and a breath of relief escaped Theo, his shoulders dropping. The warmth of pride spreading through his chest, happy to have helped someone who had been nice to him in return, and returned to his breakfast as Mason did the same to his cooking, with a small smile playing at his lips, an easy silence having settled between them.

‘So,’ Theo started after a couple of minutes, the change in atmosphere and the more cheerful conversation having come back to him, making his shoulders relax. ‘What are we doing today?’ a bit reluctant to see what the holiday fanatics had come up with this time, and tagging along with them blindly.

A part of that, of course, he’d already discussed with Liam the night before, the other boy having convinced him to get a small Christmas tree, something shifting inside him at the thought of the other boy, and it had become clear to them that they needed to go grocery shopping again for the day, Theo not really looking forward to going to the store that was basically the equivalent of the North Pole again. Still, if they wanted to eat that night, they needed food, and he had come to the realization, after getting hot chocolate with the other guys the night before, that it was better to go out and take his mind off things than to sit around inside with the plaguing thought that he needed to write being the only thing on his mind, haunting him, when it was clear that that wasn’t going to work for him.

It was way better.

‘I’m not sure,’ Mason responded, interrupting his thoughts, where he was looking over his shoulder by the stove. ‘You’ll have to ask…’

_Liam_ , Theo finished the boy’s sentence in his head, though they were interrupted by footsteps and another voice behind them, Theo whipping his head around toward them.

*****

Liam woke to the smell of pancakes, prickling in his nose, and he forced his eyes open. Usually, he’d have trouble waking up, unable to get out of bed before at least ten a.m., as the guys had noticed the day before when they were headed towards the leasing office as well, but he found Mason’s pancakes were often a good solution for that.

He pushed himself out of bed, groaning internally at the miss of the soft mattress and pillows under him and wincing slightly at the feel of his feet on the cold wooden floor, thinking that it was somehow still far too early to get up, though the sweet smell of breakfast wafting into his room and reaching him proved him otherwise, reminding him what he was doing it for and what would be waiting for him on the other side of the door if he just got this done.

Pulling on the first pair of jeans and snugly grey hoodie he found in his suitcase, finishing off the look with a pair of warm festively printed socks, he stepped out of his room, the smell of blueberry pancakes even more prominent out there making his mouth water and his stomach rumble, and he met Corey in the hallway. Smiling, quickly greeting him with a _good morning_ they made their way towards the living room, catching the voices of Mason and Theo floating their way as they spoke, softly, and a smile tugged at Liam’s lips as he wondered what it was about. He caught Theo asking Mason about their plans for the day, and felt his smile growing on his face in anticipation, as they’d already talked about it a little bit the day before. It had become clear to him that they needed a few more groceries, and, more importantly, the house was seriously lacking in the decorations and tree department, unlike the leasing office had promised them. Liam thought it was about time they did something about that, and went on a search for both of those things.

‘I have an idea,’ he started as he stepped into the living room and crossed the room towards the kitchen, he and Corey sitting down on either side of Theo. He shot a questioning look at the other man, before checking in with his friends about his plans as well. ‘We do need some more groceries, so we could all go together. And after that, I wanted to go Christmas tree hunting. You guys wanna join?’

Theo looked back over at him, staying silent with his fork stuck in a piece of pancake, as Liam could see the radars turning behind his eyes, the man taking in his words and thinking about them.

‘I do,’ Mason interrupted them by speaking up, Liam tearing his gaze away from Theo and turning to look back at his best friend as Mason poured them some more coffee, refilling their cups. ‘It sounds like fun. And a good way to make this cabin some more Christmas proof. I’ve been wondering why it wasn’t decorated, like the leasing office said it would be,’ as if he could read Liam’s mind. Grinning, he pushed the two plates filled with breakfast towards him and Corey.

‘Count me in as well,’ Corey responded, uttering a quick thanks to Mason for making breakfast for them again and pressing a quick kiss to his boyfriend’s cheek.

Liam nodded, pricking his fork into his pancake and taking a bite, before looking up. ‘Theo?’ he asked, a nervous feeling settling in his stomach for a reason he couldn’t quite place at the question. ‘Do you want to come too?’

Startled, the other man not having expected to be asked something so soon in the conversation and pulling a chuckle out of Liam, Theo looked up, chewing down the last piece of his pancake he had just cut off. ‘Oh, I… I’m not sure, I…’ he started, looking around the group nervously, not having thought through his words and what to say. Liam paused, a regretful feeling settling in his stomach for attacking Theo with a question like that when he wasn’t prepared for it, and he smiled, making sure to leave his expression as open and friendly as he could muster. Looking over at him, his eyes wandering over Theo’s face, he found clear green eyes with traces of fatigue from a long night still in them looking back at him, and for a moment, Liam was taken aback. He hadn’t noticed that before, wondered with worry settling in his stomach if sleeping problems caused the other man to be tired often.

Looking down at his breakfast, taking another bite stalling his response before looking back up, he smiled. ‘You don’t have to come,’ he let him know. ‘I just thought it would be fun,’ as he leaned forward over the breakfast bar.

Theo stayed silent, looking over at him with his fork stilled on his plate, trying to decipher whether Liam was sincere, and Liam smiled, keeping the invitation open for him wordlessly. ‘More fun than staying home anyway,’ he chuckled, as he remembered Theo’s reluctance for anything to do with Christmas so far.

It took Theo a moment to answer, thinking about Liam’s words reaching a decision slowly before he gave a nod, finishing off the piece of pancake still stuck at his fork. ‘Yeah… Yeah I guess that’s true,’ he started, the first smile Liam saw from him that morning beginning to curl at the corner of his lips. ‘Sure.’

‘That’s a yes?’ Liam asked, hopefully, his eyes shimmering.

‘I have a feeling I won’t have a choice,’ Theo uttered lowly, looking down at his plate, the memory of when Liam had invited him down for dinner on their first day popping up in both their heads. He had to remind himself, though, that being invited by the guys and saying yes to them had so far led to greater things than staying home by himself, and Liam’s grin grew.

‘If that’s what it takes to get you to come along…’ he started jokingly, leaving the end of his suggestion open to interpretation for Theo.

Theo nodded, turning back to his pancakes, the pensive frown never leaving his face as he thought about it and finished off the last ones. Liam smiled, sparing a last glance in the man’s direction before doing the same, and they all left the breakfast bar to put on their shoes and get ready to leave.

*****

When it came to it, the grocery shopping had been over and done with quickly, their trip the grocery store short as they knew what they needed for dinner that night and only had to get a few things, much to Theo’s relief. He wandered through the aisles of the store as Mason and Corey hunted the ingredients down, eyes cast away from all the Christmas decorations as the thought of what it would be like to celebrate, _really_ celebrate with people you cared about instead of how he insisted he’d spent the festivities, kept coming back to him, haunting his mind until he rounded the corner and ran into Liam again, the boy standing by the shelves with books with a wide grin on his face.

‘Hey, Theo!’ he called him over as he spotted him. ‘Look what I found!’

Theo bit his lip, frowning and crossing his arms as he crossed the aisle, despite feeling like he knew better, and feeling he might not necessarily like what Liam was about to show him.

‘What is it?’ looking down, and swallowing, a lump forming in his throat as yes, he was right, and he did not necessarily like what Liam found and showed him.

The curly, shadow-y, spooky font of the title of _House On The Corner_ stared back at him, along with the black cover of a young woman standing in the lit doorway of a dark house, her hand raised on what Theo knew to be a light switch from being there when the design was made, and suddenly, looking at it, he felt dizzy.

‘W-Where did you find this?’ looking up, his voice clouded with nerves, taking a moment to recognize it as his.

‘On the bookshelf,’ Liam frowned, nodding towards the bookcase in front of them before looking back at him, lowering the book slowly in front of him with a questioning concerned look making its way onto his face. ‘… eo?’ his voice slowly making it to Theo’s ears, pricking through his haze, after the shortcut of his brain. ‘Are you alright?’

Theo shook his head, shuddering as he was pulled back into reality with a start by the question, swallowing as he looked over at a concerned-looking Liam. ‘Y-Yeah… Fine,’ he pressed out, Liam’s brows furrowing even deeper. ‘You can get that, if you want.’

‘It was just supposed to be a joke,’ Liam started in regret, lifting the book already making move to place it back on the shelf, a regretful tone clouding his voice that had Theo frown. ‘Not meant to be that serious.’

He swallowed, taking a look at the side of Liam’s face and the deep frown that had settled on his forehead, looking sincerely apologetic, and he felt the train of thoughts setting in. His book had always sold well, he knew it had, hundreds of copies to faceless people he never even knew the first name of. Why was he so okay with selling the story to the faceless crowd and not to someone he knew standing right in front of him?

Deep down, he knew the truth, the reason why. Liam was nice. Very nice. It was personal. And it was far more scary to see the reaction of someone reading a book you wrote up close, instead of being only left to guess what it was from a person who was possibly hundreds of miles away.

Theo sighed, taking in a deep shaky breath, chewing on his lip as he turned to Liam. ‘Really, you can get that if you want,’ he repeated with the storm of nerves raging inside of him, his hands clenched into fists by his sides. A decision was made.

Liam looked, a questioning look clouding his face where he went still, pausing with the book still in his hands by the bookshelf. ‘Are you sure?’

Theo bit his lip, braving himself, steeling his shoulders, and nodded as a breath escaped him. ‘Yeah. I’m sure,’ forcing a smile on his face soon to be turning genuine.

Liam searched his face, staying silent with the book still held in his hands, as he took in how serious Theo was about this. A smile grew on his face as he spotted something in Theo’s expression that reassured him, just as wide as Theo’s, and he nodded as they took a moment to watch each other and letting each other know that it was okay, the book in Liam’s hands pressed closer to his chest again. Theo felt his smile growing wider, more so than it had in a while, his heart picking up pace in his chest as he didn’t look away. He opened his mouth to say something, possibly about his book or ask whether Liam had read horror before, when Mason and Corey stalked closer with their basket full of groceries, interrupting them, and the moment was broken.

‘We have everything!’ Mason announced, the two of them looking between them, seemingly catching onto the moment just a little too late. ‘Are you ready to go?’ his eyebrows having climbed higher on his face.

Liam coughed, turning away from Theo as if whatever that was just now never happened, throwing _House On The Corner_ in the basket atop all the other groceries, and Theo bit his lip.

‘Yeah,’ Liam said, steadying his voice, straightening his shoulders. ‘Let’s go. Can we just add that though?’ nodding towards the book.

Mason followed his gaze, nodding with a smile on his face. ‘Yeah. Of course,’ before continuing. ‘Okay, come on!’

With that, Theo pausing for a moment and staring at Liam’s back as he followed after his friends, joining them with a sigh, they checked out their groceries, stepping out of the store into the cold winter air again where they pulled their coats and scarves tighter around them, and Mason turned, looking over at them questioningly. ‘Where to?’ he asked, despite their next stop already having been decided. ‘Christmas tree?’

Liam nodded, ‘Yeah!’ a smile lighting up his face, looking glad to be getting a tree. For a moment, Theo couldn’t help but wonder if they had any other traditions, ones that were more _only_ for them and not shared with the rest of America.

As they continued their step, Mason and Corey picking up the grocery bag they had put down on the snowy sidewalk again and letting it swing between them as they held onto a strap each, a breath escaped Theo. Curiously, at the sound, Liam looked over at him, and he could see the slight curl of his lips and the lighter spark in his eyes as they walked further away from the store, the two of them falling into step behind Mason and Corey.

Together, the four of them, they made their way to the selling point Melissa had told them they would have Christmas trees, Theo slowing down his pace and falling back more and more, Liam subconsciously doing the same next to him. He couldn’t help but take notice of the deep frown on the other man’s face, a heavy, guilty feeling settling deep in his stomach in response to it, as Theo seemed lost in thought, and Liam chewed on his lip. He realized this part of the trip might not have been as much fun to Theo, he was more than a little reluctant about getting a tree and decorations until now, as Liam remembered, and he couldn’t stop himself from feeling a bit bad about it.

‘We can keep it low-key, you know,’ he spoke up with a sincere smile on his face, as the urge to do so grew stronger, and Theo’s head turned towards him questioningly at the words, as Liam felt the need to accommodate Theo as much as he could. This was supposed to be a nice holiday for all of them, something to be enjoyed by all of them and not just by him, and that included Theo.

‘Liam, you don’t have to adjust everything to me,’ Theo started with a sigh, putting his hands in his coat pockets. ‘But thanks,’ he looked up, uttering the word quietly, a small smile he seemingly wasn’t able to stop but seemed grateful to Liam all the same twitching at his mouth.

Liam nodded, a smile playing at his lips in response, something warm settling in his stomach and flowing through him, something warming him up from the inside out, that he cast aside without giving a second thought to right then. In silence, the quiet having settled between them comfortably, they plowed further through the snow, to a corner further and further on the outskirts of Beacon Hills, falling behind and Liam wondered if they were going in the right direction, what it was with this strange town, and if Mason and Corey even knew where they were going, but they kept on going steady and so Liam followed behind them, as more and more distance was put between them.

Because of that, it took them a while to reach his friends, a quietly pleasant conversation going back and forth between them as Liam explained more about his job at Town and Country to Theo, until finally, they made it to the Christmas tree selling point.

Mason and Corey were waiting for them, frowns on their faces and their lips pressed into thin lines, and immediately, upon seeing that, Liam fell silent, a concerned, anxious feeling washing over him that had his smile fading from his face.

‘You’re not going to like this,’ Mason started as soon as Liam and Theo were within earshot, his words and carefully chosen concerned tone clouding his voice not helping Liam’s anxious feeling. He bit his lip, steeling his shoulders as he looked over at Mason, waiting for what was about to come next. The concerned tone of his friend’s voice and the far lengths of empty fields with snow-covered grounds of the tree selling point, as far as the eye could see, were a good indication of that, as so far, that was all he could see. There wasn’t a tree in his direct line of sight to catch his eye and an anxious feeling crept up on Liam, settling low and nauseating in his stomach, a bad taste filling his mouth as he was dragged back into the past without warning, that only had him thinking: _no, no, not_ _now. Not now._ ‘But they’re sold out.’

The words of confirmation of what he feared had Liam swallow, whirling around to his friends and the salesman standing with his hands stuffed in his pockets, biting down on his lip. ‘Sold out!?’

‘I am sorry,’ the salesman started, his words only a little bit muffled by his big brown moustache. ‘But Christmas trees are very well wanted here, most people buy them pretty early on in December.’

‘That was to be expected,’ Theo mumbled under his breath next to him, but Liam barely heard him from the buzzing in his ears, as he took in a deep breath. Theo frowned, turning to him with a newfound concern as the gravity of the situation suddenly dawned on him slowly, Liam’s lips pressed together in a thin line. His eyebrows raised, trying to guess what was the reason of Liam’s sudden mood swing.

‘Is there anywhere else we can buy a tree?’ Corey asked the salesman, his voice firm and steady.

‘No, I’m sorry,’ the salesman shook his head. ‘The largest selling point is my farm right here, other selling points are outside of Beacon Hills.’

An audible sigh escaped Liam, visibly deflating, and for the second time, Theo wondered what was going on.

‘Okay,’ Mason started, with his voice as steady as Corey had a moment ago, forcing a smile. ‘Okay, thank you.’

With that, they turned, Theo falling into step behind the group, thinking that for some reason it was better to stay that way for now. ‘Okay, come on. I am sorry, Liam, I was really sure we would find a tree here,’ Mason’s voice floated his way with the wind from the back.

With a frown, his brows furrowed, Theo slid his hands into his coat pockets, only looking up much to his surprise as Corey fell into step beside him, a small tentative smile showing on his face.

‘It used to be a real tradition,’ he explained. ‘For him and Brett. I mean, it is for most people, of course, but decorating was one of Liam’s favorite things to do with him.’

Slowly, at the words, Theo nodded, staring down at the path in front of him where his feet made prints in the snow, the question whether Corey should be telling him this and whether Liam would be okay with him knowing this slowly washing over him. If that were him, he wouldn’t be. But then, he’d also already seen that Liam was a lot more open than him, with things like this.

‘It’s true,’ Liam started in front of them as they walked back to the house, whirling around after having taken a deep breath and confirming Theo’s suspicions about him that he was more open than him. ‘Brett and I… We always made a point of decorating the tree together, with music and everything, we had these little glass ornaments where we would put little notes in with wishes we had for the new year.’ He looked down, letting out a shaky breath as he shuffled his feet around, his hands in his pockets. ‘It’s stupid…’

At the words, Theo couldn’t help but feel something sharp spiking in his chest, something hopelessly and defensively protective of memories. He _understood_ memories, understood how, in bad times, good memories could be the only thing you’d cling to not let yourself go under, and drown. He’d been there, more than once. ‘It’s not stupid,’ he said, gently, surprising himself most of all. ‘I get it,’ lips just curling up in a small smile. ‘Sorry that the trees were all sold out,’ not knowing how to stand, feeling entirely unsure and inadequate of his comforting skills. He’d never had to use them much in his whole life.

Slowly though, despite that, Liam glanced up from under his lashes, his eyes light, undeniably clouded with gratitude that had Theo standing frozen still for a moment, his head empty, his mind stopped. ‘Thanks…’

With that, just like that, Theo was pulled back into reality, curling his hands into fists inside his pockets biting the inside of his cheek, as he gave a short nod, feeling the corner of his lip turning up just slightly and felt like, suddenly, the air around him grew a little hotter.

Liam looked over at him, holding his eyes for a moment considering him, like back in the store, and Theo didn’t know what it meant, feeding his anxious feeling, until he wasn’t anymore and he averted his gaze, a soft breath escaping him. ‘Yeah…’

With that, the truth was told, the moment over and Liam’s little relationship tradition with Brett still ghosting around in Theo’s head, wondering what else they had, and they continued their pace again, continuing their walk back towards the house. Theo stayed behind, watching Liam’s back with a pensive look on his face chewing on his lip, as they continued on like before. Corey walking beside him, asking questions every now and then making soft conversation that felt different than the way Liam did it, Mason and Liam walking in front of them as they talked busily, Mason seemingly comforting Liam.

Theo hoped it was working.

Like that, the four of them eventually ending up all walking beside each other, in a way that Theo knew included him, they launched into a conversation that was much more happy and Liam seeming a little more content again, they reached the house.

*****

Theo breathed, stepping outside needing a quiet moment to himself for a bit after not getting it in the house due to the constant company, pulling his scarf tighter around his neck letting out a shaky breath, when he heard it. Mason and Corey, talking next to the house, their voices hushed, a sign of sensitive conversation he wasn’t supposed to hear, but their voices floating towards him in the December wind nonetheless.

Theo swallowed, turning and making move to go back into the house, avoiding this and evading any business that wasn’t his to know, not looking to create any more chaos and mess in his life, when their conversation topic caught up with him. He paused, having gone still on the steps of the backdoor, looking over his shoulder.

‘… Clearly didn’t make a mistake suggesting we’d all come here,’ the voice of Corey reached his ears, quietly, a sound of private conversation of two boys who hadn’t counted on the wind carrying their voices to eavesdroppers standing by. Theo shuffled on the steps feeling uneasy at the realization, but couldn’t get himself to move. ‘This place is amazing.’

It stayed silent for a moment, and Theo imagined Mason nodding at his boyfriend’s comment. ‘Hmm, tell me about it. This town has everything, cafes, shops, little parks… I can see why Town and Country thinks it’d be perfect for vacation. And, I mean, I wasn’t sure if Lydia would let us all go at first either, but this trip seems to be doing Liam good as well. He seems happy here.’

Theo perked up at that, his attention spiking up at the statement, and he frowned, knowing that he wasn’t supposed to hear two guys being concerned for their best friend, but couldn’t help the name catching his attention anyway and he turned, instinctively knowing that it had something to do with Brett and the break-up that Liam had told him about, especially after what happened at the tree selling point. Something heavy at the thought settled in his stomach, something not sitting right with him about it, and he turned starting to climb the steps again, ready to go back inside and escape this, when Mason’s next words caught his attention.

‘You know what would make it even better though, for him and for us too?’ he asked, and Theo gritted his teeth, dreading the words he knew were about to come. ‘A Christmas tree!’

Theo stayed silent, curling his hands into fists in his pockets _as there it was_ , and he gripped onto the wooden railings by the steps tighter, stepping down onto the forest floor behind the back yard as a sigh escaped him, Mason’s words causing a whirlwind of thoughts to spin around in his mind.

Until now, he had always tried his hardest to avoid the holiday cheer everybody else always seemed so insistent to indulge themselves in, instead always locking himself in and closing the curtains, closing his eyes for any Christmas memories where the world couldn’t hurt him. Unable to understand all the hype around it, and unwilling to even begin to do so, the holidays instead making him bitter as for him, they came with nothing but memories of unhappy times, hurting him deeply beneath his skin, and he wished for something to change, for better times, for anything. But nothing ever came.

Now, though, standing on his own in the cold winter air, in the blindingly white snow, he was forced to acknowledge the fact that, deep down, he’d always known that other people didn’t feel the same way about the holidays that he did, faced with the fact that he was the odd one out and Liam’s hurt, disappointed face from earlier burned in his mind. Here it was, presented to him on a silver platter, the opportunity for change, the chance at better times that he’d always wished so hard for, but his heart had been broken for a long time, since his sister’s death, since his parents’ divorce, and here he was, too terrified to take it not knowing what to do with it.

A sigh escaped him as he stepped forward, chewing his lip so hard he swore he could almost take blood, his mind still reeling with the bits and pieces of the conversation he’d overheard and the thoughts it started from him, when he could feel his foot bumping into something.

Surprised, not having expected anything to be in his way, he looked down, staring at the thing that was blocking his path with a blank face. Slowly, he raised his eyebrows, the thing in his way settling an anxious, defeated feeling and a determined feeling in his stomach alike, and he bit his lip, an idea that had been long simmering in the back of his mind popping into his head at last. With that, he leaned forward, tugging the obstacle in his path free from all the other rubble effectively blocking it from sight. A decision was made.

With the object in his hands, he got to work.

*****

Liam had always loved surprised. Back when he was still a kid, his birthday had been the best time for that, and his mom knew that, had always made Liam believe in magic by seemingly conjuring his birthday present out of thin air and getting it from behind her back when the big day finally came. He had always loved that game, she said, giggling like mad whenever she did it. When he got older, his surprises changed, to keep up with what was considered an appropriate amount of maturity at that age. Sometimes knowing exactly what his birthday gifts were gonna be was a part of that, having had a pleasant amount of shock the time his friends threw a surprise party for him. Surprised shifted, adjusting with age. They consisted of movie or concert tickets, paying for your friend’s ice cream just because you could or making a nice gesture for them.

That was what he thought Theo was doing right now. Making a nice gesture for people he was just starting to consider his friends. Though, to Liam, a ‘gesture’ hardly seemed to put it into the right words, the trouble Theo had gone through for them and how deeply thoughtful he had been about this.

When Theo had retrieved them from their rooms, shuffling inside looking shy with his hands fumbling at the hem of his shirt, asking them to come with him, this was not what Liam expected.

With open mouths and their eyes wide, he, Mason and Corey stared at the small Christmas tree standing in front of them, in front of the window in the corner of the room, illuminated by the faint light of the winter sun shining on it, complete with light strings wrapped professionally around it as if Theo had already done it a thousand times before, and maybe he had, Liam couldn’t say he knew, the lights on the tree making it seem like it was glowing either way. When Theo had asked them to come with him, forcing them to keep their eyes closed and guiding them into the living room carefully, this was not what he’d expected.

It warmed Liam’s stomach, making a content feeling flood through him, as if a weight lifted off his shoulders, as if a puzzle piece finally clicked into place and it all made sense again. In response to his post break-up episode at the tree selling point, this was one of the nicest things someone could have done, something he wouldn’t even have thought to ask for. Yet here he got it. He couldn’t stop the smile from curling at the corner of his lips, widely, as he looked over at Theo, the other man waiting with tense shoulders for their reactions.

‘Did you do all this yourself?’ he asked, coughing, clearing his throat and his pleasant surprise sounding through his voice where he crossed his arms over his chest.

Theo swallowed, looking up meeting his eyes, having known that at least some questions would be shot his way. ‘I, uh… Heard Mason and Corey talking in the back yard… About the Christmas tree… And then they didn’t have them at the selling point…’

Looking up, Liam didn’t miss Mason and Corey looking surprised at the confession, exchanging a quick glance raising their eyebrows, and he couldn’t say he could blame them as he was pretty surprised himself, before a chuckle spilled past his lips. He definitely hadn’t been expecting this. It wasn’t long before Mason and Corey joined him, clearly sharing the sentiment, and Theo looked over at them freezing, seeming to grow even more tense, and Liam shook his head, feeling a bit bad for it and trying to get across they weren’t laughing at him, stepping closer to him.

‘Wow…’ Corey breathed once he regained his control of it, wiping through his eye letting out a deep breath. ‘That’s not… I think it’s safe to say none of us were expecting this. But it’s a good outcome, if we’d known this sooner…’

Liam glanced towards Theo, seeing the other man relax a little bit more again at the words, rolling his shoulders back, much to his relief. He knew he and his friends could be a little much sometimes, overbearing, but all they wanted was to let Theo know that they were thankful and they loved the fact he got a Christmas tree, not making him tense and anxious by putting him on the spot like that and overwhelming him.

‘Where did you find this tree anyway?’ Corey interrupted the silence, curiously, a smile on his face as he turned towards Theo.

Theo flushed, fumbling with his hands in front of him. ‘Uh, it was in the…’ He coughed, clearing his throat. ‘In the back yard, lying around hidden beneath some other stuff,’ and Liam smiled, feeling a bit bad for the interrogation at him.

It wasn’t long, though, before Corey realized that too, an apologetic look clear in his eyes and a smile at his lips. ‘Well, it doesn’t matter,’ he started, turning back around. ‘Wherever you found it, clearly we need to finish the decorating job! I was hoping we could do that together. Do you know where the rest of them are?’

At that, Theo flushed, his cheeks turning red scratching the back of his neck quietly, and, judging just by that reaction, yes, Liam guessed he knew exactly where they were. Something about that, something about Theo’s inventiveness made him want to laugh, secretly a little impressed with it, though he wouldn’t say it out loud. ‘I… Uh, they’re in the basement, I hid them in the basement…’ and Liam couldn’t stop the initial snort escaping him before biting down on his lip to keep in the rest of his laugh.

For a moment, it stayed silent in the room, the three of them exchanging shocked glances at the admission, Mason and Corey seemingly dealing with the same problem Liam currently had, their eyes wide and sparkling with it, and next to him, Theo waited with held in breath for a reaction, any reaction that would be better than this _silence_ , and he just got ready to turn and bolt when they couldn’t stop and hold it in anymore. A second wave of laughter echoed around the room, hard, their stunned shock at the situation outing itself, and Liam stared over at Theo, his mouth hanging open.

‘Well,’ Mason hiccupped, once he had regained his breath enough to speak again. ‘That certainly explains why there weren’t any decorations in the house like the website said there would be.’

Theo flushed, Liam sending him a grin, and Corey wiped at his eye, turning towards them. ‘Here I was, just thinking this town wasn’t very reliable, like when the leasing office was unexpectedly closed, or even the entire double-booking itself,’ he commented with a laugh, gasping in a breath along with it.

From the corner of his eye, Liam could see Theo slowly starting to relax again, now that the focus wasn’t so much on him anymore, his shoulders dropping. ‘That is very good possibility as well,’ he commented, deciding to help with that even just a little bit extra.

‘Right?’ Corey laughed, turning towards his boyfriend, shooting Liam and Theo a look. ‘Alright, we’re gonna go get them,’ he informed them, grabbing his boyfriend’s hand and pulling him from the room with him. ‘Come on,’ effectively leaving Liam and Theo alone together in the room.

A moment of silence hit them, neither not knowing what to say, and they turned towards the glowing Christmas tree before them, their hands in their pockets.

Biting his lip, Liam glanced over, unable to stop his eyes from wandering over to Theo with an impossibly warm feeling in his chest, the urge to say something growing stronger, swallowing his mouth going dry with it, the word usually considered appropriate for this kind of situation on the tip of his tongue. Despite feeling like no words could ever amount to a proper thank you to the other man for this, no amount of saying those two little words would ever encompass his true gratitude with the way he was feeling inside now that they had a real Christmas tree, satisfying some of the holiday cheer he had been craving so, so bad.

‘Thank you,’ he pressed out, his strangled voice betraying the emotions raging inside of him, tears almost welling up in his eyes.

At the words, Theo turned to him, forcing a smile, just a small barely there twitch of his lips that looked almost pained, but Liam wouldn’t have missed from a mile away nonetheless. ‘It’s nothing.’

A noise of heavy protest escaped Liam, turning back towards the Christmas tree. ‘It’s not nothing…’ he uttered, emotions clouding his voice, sounding firm with the urge to make clear to Theo just how much this meant to him. ‘It’s our Christmas tree,’ turning towards Theo with a look in his eyes so clearly serious that Theo startled, Liam’s heart pounding in his chest. ‘This is, kind of, the nicest thing anyone’s done for me in a while, longer than you’ll know.’

Theo felt his mouth run dry, his heart skipping a beat. _Those were the last kind of words he expected Liam to say about this to him…_ They left a satisfied feeling that he’d done the right thing and an anxious feeling low and heavy, ready to leave the room and walk away from this, deep in his stomach, the fact that he didn’t know what to do with this and this situation so unfamiliar to him making him want to leave.

He stayed put, slowly sliding his hands in his pockets, taking in and out deep breaths.

They were interrupted by Mason and Corey coming back into the room, carrying a basket full of decorations Theo had hid in the basement between them, dropping it down onto the couch with pleased grins on their faces.

‘We found it,’ Mason announced, satisfied with it, and Theo slowly felt the tension leaving him again now that he and Liam weren’t so forced to focus on each other’s company anymore.

‘Great!’ Liam grinned, dropping his shoulders seemingly feeling the same way, turning and starting to rummage through the basket along with Corey, pulling out decorations he thought were nice or would look good with the string lights on the tree.

Theo let out a breath, Mason shooting him a quick questioning look before joining his best friend and boyfriend, and Theo let himself get a moment to relax before doing the same. He stepped over to the couch, looking in the basket, pulling out a red string of tinsel.

‘That looks good!’ Liam exclaimed, looking up, clearly eager to move on from their scarily trusting, emotional exchange a moment ago, his eyes sparkling as confirmation of his words. Theo nodded, a small smile making its way across his face happy that Liam felt the same way he did, his shoulders dropping now that they knew how to act again.

Handily, he turned starting to wrap it around the tree, his hands knowing what to do as they’d done it a hundred times before. Unfortunately, to him, that also meant memories threatened to flood him from every angle, trying to creep into his mind, his and Tara’s first Christmas, Tara wrapping the tinsel around the tree with clumsy hands as her childlike laughter filled the room and was remembered by Theo as if it was yesterday, at the same time feeling like the memory came to him in a dream, his mom teaching them how to do it. At the thought, Theo felt like lying down, running out of the room curling up into a ball hidden beneath the blankets, letting his tears flow freely, but he didn’t let them, didn’t let himself. He didn’t let them in, didn’t let the memories close and kept his face blank, no matter how he had to try, no matter how it made his eyes burn. It wasn’t worth breaking down over this, in the middle of the room in front of Corey, Mason, Liam… And having to explain to them what was going on, their concerned faces, making him swallow, would only make it worse.

He didn’t think his heart could take that.

With his hands having started to tremble slightly, shaking lightly, he focused on the tinsel, taking in and letting out a few deep breaths as he reminded himself he could do this, focus on this one task, and next to him, Liam let out a chuckle as he almost dropped an ornament, the glass ball nearly slipping from his fingers and shattering in a broken heap by his feet.

‘You okay?’

‘Yeah… Fine,’ Theo lied, though he felt it wasn’t true. Deep down, he knew a Christmas tree would have this effect. But after hearing the others talk about it so passionately, he couldn’t deny them one, especially after seeing how disappointed they all were to find them sold out.

Liam frowned, shooting a glance towards him with his eyebrows raised in suspicion, Theo swallowing biting his lip, before the other man went back to hanging up the few little plush Santa’s he found. ‘Thank you,’ he said again, something cold warming in Theo’s chest again at the words, something tight snapping loose and making it easier for him to breathe. ‘I still don’t how you got this, but… It’s our Christmas tree.’

Liam’s smile to back up his words had Theo take in a breath, a smile curling up the corner of his lips.

‘You know what I also found?’ Mason’s soft voice interrupted them, quietly, behind them. ‘This,’ an unsure smile playing at his lips as they turned around, the boy holding up the exactly right amount of glass ornaments, the exact kind that Liam had described as using for his wish tradition with Brett.

From the corner of his eye, Theo caught Liam faltering, his smile only fading for a moment before being plastered back in his place.

‘Of course, if you’re okay with it, I thought we could…’ Mason started quietly, shyly, glancing up at Liam uncertainly, the questioning look written clear over his face.

Stiffly, Liam’s eyes stayed fixed on the ornaments, his hands hanging by his side as he couldn’t think of anything other than doing this with Brett, his ex-boyfriend’s blue eyes flashing through his mind, being the only thing he saw. Shuddering, a shaky breath spilling over his lips, he looked up at Mason.

‘Mase… I don’t know,’ his voice came out small, doubting, and something in Theo’s chest spiked at his tone. That was exactly how he’d felt a moment ago, and he _understood_.

‘Of course,’ Mason nodded firmly, of course being okay with this being his friend’s decision, starting to put the ornaments away. ‘But, I thought, if you ever need someone to help you turn a tradition into something entirely good and new…’

It stayed silent, Liam looking up slowly chewing on his lip, and Theo felt his breath catch in his throat. No one had ever made such an offer to him, had done something as selfless and been as kind as that, and he knew if someone did, he would grab it with both hands, even if only because of him being overcome with someone coming to a solution like that, the fog in his head not allowing him to think straight.

Judging by the look on his face, Liam felt the same way, slowly glancing over at Mason. ‘New traditions?’ he asked, a hesitant, unsure chuckle escaping him as he took the glass ornament, examining it brushing over it with his fingers. ‘I don’t think you really understand how traditions work.’

‘See if I do,’ Mason replied challengingly, Liam’s head snapping up at that, and with that, the decision was made.

He took a glass ornament, twisting it between his fingers lost in thought, and as he looked up again, a wide smile played at his lips. Theo crossed his arms.

Upon seeing it, Mason and Corey’s own smiles widened in response, the three of them sitting down to write their biggest wishes on a small piece of paper, before folding them up and writing their names on it, and pushing them inside the ornaments.

Watching them, laughing and joking together, Theo swallowed, folding his arms around him as a feeling as cold as the winter wind outside blew over him. This was it, a reminder of why inviting the three boys to stay in the house along with him had been a mistake, as they had inside jokes he could never hope to understand, a bond he would never be a part of, no matter how nice they had been to him, no matter how much they had done their best to include them. The history was much too great. He could see it clearly then. Family didn’t always come with flesh and blood, with what you were born into.

With his heart aching inside his chest a little sharper, biting his lip, Theo stepped backward on the carpet, making move to turn and leaving the room as quietly as he could, not planning to leave a trace of himself behind, when Corey looked up and frowned, asking: ‘Theo? Are you grabbing a piece of paper as well?’

Shuddering, not having expected to be called on so all of a sudden, Theo spun around, sure of the way his face must’ve been one giant question mark by the way three faces stared smiling up at him. ‘W-What? No, this is for family…’

‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ Mason cut him off, pushing an ornament and piece of paper over to him, a still friendly inviting smile playing at his lips despite his tone. ‘Intruding’s not possible, we’re staying here together. You’re part of the club now too.’

At the words, Theo stayed frozen, pinned to his spot, not knowing how to move feeling like all his limbs had turned into jelly. Not often in his life, had he known people who were so damn set on including him, hard to fight off, and as he started to choke up with tears, his eyes burning with it and blinking against them desperately, forcing them back, he wasn’t even sure if he wanted to. His lip wobbling, a broad smile breaking across his face, he made his way back over the couch shakenly, Liam sliding over to make room for him. An ornament, pen and piece of paper were waiting for him, begging to be used, and as Theo sat down slowly, gingerly, looking around the group, he recognized that for the second time that day, family didn’t always come in flesh and blood. Sure, they all had their real family still, but these boys were proof of it.

And as he sat down, something warm flooded through him, from being included in both their oldest and newest traditions, and with shaky hands he grabbed the pen, leaning forward over the coffee table towards his little note waiting for him.

He’d better think of a real good wish, the corner of his lips just curled up slightly as he put his pen down on the paper and started to write.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you tell the ending was rushed, because it was unedited and my first draft because I just wanted to have it finished? :D I spent so long on this I decided to just go for it ;) Haha. Just for the wait, it was extra long ;) Surprise!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think, comments make my day! :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theo and Liam each call with their bosses about the vacation. Bad feelings get drowned by more festive activities.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter! Little past Christmas too. But I hope you'll enjoy it!  
> Enjoy :)

For the next two days, the peaceful atmosphere returned to the house, and kept growing between them. More and more decorations kept appearing and being hung up all around the house, though Theo didn’t know how to feel anything other than uncertain about it.

On the first day, on one hand he had to admit, if only to himself, that it made the house look a lot less bare and a lot more warm and homely with it. The four of them, he could say truthfully, definitely had a lot of fun together hanging them up, laughing and joking with each other all around. And he couldn’t quite describe the warmth he felt in his belly when he caught Liam on the couch, reading his book, and the way the boy sent him a careful smile when he caught him staring.

On the other hand, though, he wasn’t sure what to think about it, as looking at it brought back the sound of Tara’s voice softly in his head, almost like a ghost, haunting him. It didn’t stop from making him feel faintly dizzy in his head, making his chest feel tight, and he had to take in and out a few deep breaths as he looked up at the decorations again.

As time ticked on, though, it got better, Theo couldn’t deny that he got used to it, and Liam’s glances of concern that were shot his way and his care whether Theo was doing alright with it all helped him.

Because Liam was _nice_ , so awfully nice and probably one of the few people who could make it seem so selfless and natural and effortless, and Theo wouldn’t just change his opinion about that.

Hanging up the decorations together, laughing together, made Theo feel a warmth in his belly from the way they included him, the way he fit in with them and belonged with someone, and they made him feel like he’d been a part of their group from the very beginning. Having let his guard down around them with relaxation, they’d managed to snatch the rest of the decorations from under a reluctant Theo’s nose before he even really knew what happened, and threw their heads back with laugher as he found out.

At that, Theo couldn’t help but show his small, careful smile at them as they weren’t looking.

Laughing along with them, scolding them jokingly deciding to let it go and leave it for what it was, Theo had his mind taken up by the moment, and hadn’t expected the blaring loud noise of his phone ringing to brutally interrupt it. The noise startled him, pulling out his phone from his pocket with a still small smile on his face, and chuckling, joking with him, the other three asked what could possibly be more important than making the house holiday-proof. Letting out a chuckle, Theo picked up his phone.

‘Theo Raeken.’

‘Theo,’ a voice started on the other end, sounding all too familiar and startling him as it did. ‘Glad to hear you answered,’ and instantly, Theo felt like the air had been knocked out of his lungs, his blood ran cold, and the color drained from his face. He stood rooted to the spot as he felt as though the solid ground was kicked away from underneath his feet and he was sent tumbling back to the real world, away from the peaceful moment here in this house that was suddenly over, and his shoulders tensed up.

‘Derek.’

Taking in a shuddering breath, Theo peeked out of the corner of his eye. Next to him, he saw, the other three were still decorating away, preoccupied with hanging white glittery snowflakes in front of the windows and too busy to have noticed him tensing up. A shiver ran through Theo, relief at them not noticing along with something nauseating him at Derek calling and hearing his voice, and he took in a shaky, shuddering breath.

‘Can you hold on one moment?’

The moment Liam, Mason and Corey noticed Theo’s mind had been taken up with something else and far more serious wasn’t hard to pinpoint, the three of them stopping what they were doing and turning to him, shooting him questioning, concerned glances. It warmed Theo’s troubled heart, at least a little bit with the way his mind was racing and he had a bitter taste in his mouth, and it reminded him once again of how different his life was here.

Swallowing, Theo took the phone off his ear, covering it with his hand and nodding towards it. ‘Sorry…’ he started, Liam’s gaze softening where he stood by the window. ‘I… I have to take this,’ he pressed out past the lump in his throat, the words leaving a sour taste in his mouth. He hadn’t expected Derek to call, not anytime soon anyway, when he was so busy preoccupied with this holiday, that this phone call felt like a strange wake-up call from the outside world, pricking through his carefully created bubble here in this house in Beacon Hills.

It was like there were two different worlds, ones that weren’t even supposed to interact with each other. One was here in Beacon Hills where he was laughing and smiling and doing things he never pictured himself to do in his life ever again. And one was his real life in the city, where he could never hope to begin to escape the drag of his everyday life, and the memories that haunted him every day.

As he turned and walked away to leave the room, he couldn’t stop thinking about the blinking cursor on his empty Word document, Derek’s calling and hearing his voice making him think about that, the image burned in his mind haunting him. He swallowed away the sour taste that rose up in his throat and hoped that Derek wasn’t calling for that, no specific reason for him to call or to inform Theo that anything was wrong. Though the frantic panicked beating of his heart and the way his mind kept going back to the empty document ever since picking up the phone was telling him otherwise.

And judging by the concerned glances the other three shot him, the questioning gazes sent his way before being replaced by small tentative smiles as he nodded to them that everything was okay, let him know that he wasn’t pretending that everything was good as well as he thought he was.

It didn’t help his nerves of having to take this call in private any better.

With that, he turned, his back towards the others, and walked off to his room. Closing the door behind him carefully to make sure it was safe from any potential eavesdroppers, before he sunk down on the bed and finally answered.

‘Hey Derek,’ he pressed out quietly, his voice flat and unsure, slightly wincing at the nerves clouding his voice as the mattress dented in under his weight. He clenched his eyes shut tightly for a moment, but all he could see was that damned blinking cursor, terrifying him. ‘What’s up? Why’d you call? Is there a problem?’

His voice came out strangled, and all Theo could hope for, wish for desperately with his entire being and a nauseous feeling settled in his stomach, as he thought, please, let everything be okay. Please don’t let there be a problem. He swallowed, as the responsibilities of and the drag of his real everyday life crashed over him, hard, and he finally let frustration catch up with him, here, safe in this room behind the closed door.

He wondered how he could’ve let himself be so stupid. Could’ve let himself be so stupid as to think he could actually let himself catch a break, even for just a moment, and let himself be anything even close to happy in this perfectly safe bubble he swore the real world couldn’t touch.

Of course he was wrong. Of course life could touch the different life here in the cabin, and peace wouldn’t last for long.

‘What?’ Derek’s voice sounded incredulous on the other end of the line, cutting through Theo’s troubled thoughts. His eyes snapped open, recognizing the smile sounding through the other man’s voice in confusion despite sounding tinny through the phone, and a hundred unspoken questions started spinning in his mind. ‘So I can’t just call anymore to check up on a friend? Me calling automatically equals a problem? Phew.’ Derek let out a breath, a chuckle along with it. ‘I realized I might not always bring people the happiest of news, but I didn’t think I was quite that bad yet.’

Though the comment pulled a quick, small smile out of Theo, fleeting, the words did nothing to reassure him, or calm him down. Along with the worry that something was wrong nonetheless, the stress of his sudden interrupted peace and his frustration with himself, now came a nauseating kind of guilt, swirling low in his stomach, for his mistrust in Derek. _What a good friend he must seem to the other man._ He sighed, brushing a hand through his hair. ‘S-Sorry… I just…’

‘Relax,’ Derek cut him off with a soft chuckle, seemingly able to sense Theo’s turmoil even from a distance, sounding like his smile hadn’t faded away yet. ‘I was joking, Theo,’ and Theo dropped his hand in his lap, hanging in his head with his lip caught between his teeth, the feeling that he could never say anything right and everything was wrong never leaving him. ‘There’s no problem, really. I really was just calling you to check up on you, see how you were doing in that wintery wonderland. Is it at least a little bit nice up there? I just wanted to know you were allowing yourself to take your time and relax. Get some rest. You haven’t been working on that book too hard, have you? Haven’t been too hard on yourself?’

Derek’s voice was light, caring, but just like that, Theo was reminded of the haunting blinking cursor, his empty Word document, hitting him hard, and nausea filled him. He hung his head back, closing his eyes leaning on his hand on the bed behind him. It was haunting him, like a ghost, and it was never gonna leave him alone, and all he wanted was to curl up in a ball underneath the covers in his bed, hiding away from the world and just be, lay down, until he couldn’t anymore, surrounded by nothing but the safety of the dark.

He swallowed at the words, hating how their talk reverted back to the topic of his book, wanting to be angry at Derek for it, leaving his mouth dry. But he couldn’t. Knowing that Derek was able to see through him effortlessly even from a distance, even the most carefully concealed and hidden parts of himself were visible to the other man, and Theo knew it wasn’t fair. Derek was one of closest friends, one that he could talk to, and it was because they had known each other for so long, which was simultaneously the reason why Theo was so okay with it if was just Derek, seeing so deep inside of him. A dishonest answer he couldn’t give, knowing that Derek would know. There just wasn’t any point in doing that.

‘Sorry,’ he pressed out pointedly, leaning forward brushing his hand through his hair tiredly, no denying that something snapped and loosened inside of him in relief, in spite of himself, at Derek’s words. He appreciated it, if nothing else. ‘You know I didn’t mean it like that. I’m… I’m glad you called to check in,’ the words leaving his mouth dry. And he was, despite the fact that the cursor didn’t stop blinking anymore in his mind than it did on his empty Word document, feeling like something was wrong nonetheless, and he couldn’t shake the feeling, despite the fact Derek likely knew.

‘That’s more like it,’ the other man chose to say, not commenting on the turmoil he knew Theo had, and pulling a small smile out of Theo, welcoming the distraction despite the other world outside of his bubble here in Beacon Hills that Derek represented, and the job of his new book still undone. The need to getaway, for this vacation, had never been so strong. ‘So, how is it up there?’ Derek asked, a laugh clear in his voice, a lighter and joking turn in the conversation that Theo didn’t miss. ‘You sick of all the Christmas cheer yet?’ and Theo was grateful for it.

‘Yeah,’ he sighed out dramatically, falling backward and sprawling himself out over the bed excessively. ‘Next time you better send me up somewhere where there’s absolutely no people,’ he managed, feeling a lighter mood of relief washing over him, almost nauseating with its unfamiliarity, and Derek chuckled on the other end of the line.

‘And encourage your hermit ways? I don’t think so,’ and a comfortable silence, the way it used to be, fell between them before Derek spoke again, continuing. ‘So… How’s the cabin? Anything to your liking?’

In spite of it being nothing like his modern apartment, it was, Theo thought, and his eyes flew open, sitting up quickly again. His mouth felt dry, the obvious answer plaguing his mind. ‘Yeah… Except… Well, there’s this tiny little thing.’

‘Oh God,’ Derek replied, though Theo could hear the laughter, the joke, in his voice and he swallowed, concern sitting low and heavy in his gut, almost making him feel nauseous, and he closed his eyes for a moment. ‘What is it now? Rooms too cramped? Walls too thin?’

Despite himself, a small smile flashed over Theo’s face lightning quick, not having missed Derek’s subtle, joking jab towards his previous writing retreat experiences (Theo knew he could be a little demanding), and he chuckled at Derek’s terrible guesses, at how Derek was never gonna get this anyway, and he could picture Derek’s face as he reacted to the news already.

‘No. Not exactly. Have I told you the story of the double booking yet?’

‘Oh God,’ Derek immediately responded again on the other side, Theo’s eyes closed, and he could picture the way Derek’s brows were furrowed both concerned and amused. ‘No. But it is something I can probably take a guess at. Go on.’

‘Gladly.’ Chuckling, Theo lay down on the bed again, his phone pressed tightly against his ear, as he relayed the story of how he came in here, how he took a nap and suddenly was woken again, as three boys barged in here (Liam’s kindness was a thing he kept to himself) and threw a key to his head, their failed trip to the leasing office, and how they had stayed here together ever since then. And, much as he predicted, by the end of it, Derek was laughing loudly, his body shaking with it as Theo pictured the look on his face when he did so, on the other side of the line.

‘Oh wow…!’ Derek huffed out when he found his voice again, getting his laughter under control. ‘That’s like, seriously something out of a movie, or something,’ and a laugh escaped Theo, focusing on nothing but Derek’s voice on the phone in the quiet bedroom. ‘How does that only happen to you? Though, really, it was bound to happen at some point!’

Theo snorted, though he didn’t know what Derek meant by that. He didn’t go on as many retreats, and rent as many vacation cabins, as the other man seemed to think.

During the talk, a laugh being pulled out of him more times than he expected, Theo found himself relaxed, absolute and undeniable relief at the direction the conversation went in and the things Derek discussed with him flooding through him, having absolutely nothing to do with work, and he felt more relieved than he could’ve thought. His shoulders relaxed, and something had loosened in his chest. But though he felt relieved, and he really did, something loosening up and snapping inside of him at talking to his friend, Derek, despite the world outside of his safe bubble here in Beacon Hills that the man represented and came so close to being popped, he thought of his Word-document. His empty document, his unfinished book, chasing him, forming a threat in his mind and anxiety washing over him, worrying. He would always carry that worry with him. And he couldn’t shake the dark, nagging feeling in the back of his mind, whispering trying to get his attention, that was something was horribly wrong.

*****

In the other room, Liam had Lydia on the line, calling frantically with her. With the phone pressed to his ear, a smile at his lips, he paced in front of the window, enjoying the sight of the snow and the sun reflecting brightly on it outside. It reminded Liam of why small towns were so beautiful, of why he should go on little vacations to them more often. 

‘Really, Liam,’ Lydia said. ‘The pictures you’ve already sent me so far are amazing, they’re working perfectly for what we’re trying to do here. I knew I hadn’t made a mistake sending you up there,’ and Liam grinned. ‘Now keep doing you, and I can only imagine the wonderful article we’re gonna be able to put together.’

At the compliment, Liam’s cheeks heated up, couldn’t the grin off his face, as he turned and leaned against the windowsill with a smile. He’d heard pretty often that he was a good photographer, not uncommonly by Lydia too, but every time that he did it made him feel like he was on top of the world all over again, like he was just a young boy, new in his field, with big dreams he was just told were coming true. His heart warmed, racing fast inside his chest.

‘Now, maybe a few pictures outside of your cabin would be nice too,’ Lydia interrupted his thoughts, Liam turning back to reality and rested his head back, a smile tugging at his lips and something warm for this place blossoming in his chest. ‘Of course. All the pictures you need.’

‘At least tell me it’s a nice house. You don’t forget to have a little bit of a vacation down there,’ Lydia continued, a laugh sounding clear through her voice, and pulled a chuckle out of Liam.

‘It’d be kinda hard not to,’ he laughed back in response. ‘Taking pictures and a beautiful house in a town that reeks of Christmas spirit? It’s like a dream combination I always wanted.’

‘Don’t make me come down there to check it out myself,’ and though Lydia sounded just as strict, taking no shit from anyone as always, Liam could hear the joke in her voice, the silent wish to actually see the house for herself and check it out.

With that, though, Liam felt his cheeks flush, coughing and clearing his throat, as he knew that he was gonna have to tell Lydia about their situation, that might take the whole holiday experience down a notch, at least for her, as it wasn’t exactly a common thing when renting a house, and they hadn’t expect to find it either. ‘Uhm… Yeah, about that,’ he started, clearing his throat, his cheeks heating up at the confession and his heart racing fast inside his chest. ‘There is one thing… That makes it a little different than the dream combination.’

‘What are you talking about?’ Lydia’s voice sounded sharp, like always, alarmed, like she hadn’t expected anything to be wrong at all at this vacation, and a wave of guilt washed over Liam. He hadn’t been expecting that either, and he took in a deep breath, biting his lip.

‘We are, sorta, kinda, maybe sharing this place with a roommate.’

‘A roommate,’ Lydia echoed, dumbfounded. Liam chewed on his lip, leaning down on the window sill.

‘Yeah. There was a mistake with the cabin. It was double booked. When we got here, the other guy, Theo’s his name, was already here, and since there was a snowstorm and we couldn’t go anywhere, so we agreed to all stay for the night. We went to go to the leasing office in the morning, but it was closed. We were gonna leave, after taking some pictures, but then Theo suggested that we’d all stay there together. The money would only be thrown away otherwise,’ Liam explained what had happened.

It stayed silent on the other end, and Liam could just picture the way Lydia took in his words, sitting behind her desk the gears turning behind her eyes, as she thought about his words and carefully formed an answer.

‘…Theo,’ Lydia said then, stating the name as a fact, and she sucked in a short breath. ‘Well, that’s unexpected,’ and Liam couldn’t blame her. He had thought the same thing when he had come in here, and he knew she wouldn’t really approve. Lydia was always sensible and level-headed. ‘Are you sure that’s wise Liam? I mean, you don’t even know this guy.’

Liam chewed on his lip, brushing a hand through his hair and thinking about Lydia’s words, though he didn’t argue with them. He wanted to argue about them though, thinking about them. Did he know Theo? Over the past few days, they’d included him in their activities, and Liam had seen him happier like that when they did then when they’d first come here, but how much did he really know about the guy? Theo was very private, to him it had become clear that the man had a hard time opening up to people, and it was true that they’d really only known Theo for three days. Liam bit his lip and wondered if Lydia had a point. Still, it felt like it had been much longer, and though Theo wouldn’t share much, like he’d known the other man for much longer.

Liam couldn’t help but feel like he’d made up his mind, Theo gave off the impression that he’d been estranged from his family and hadn’t had a proper Christmas in a while, and he thought no one should be alone at Christmas. Rooming together had worked so far. And what was more, he _liked_ Theo, thought they got along well and liked that Theo thought his stupid jokes were funny enough to laugh at them, and Theo had shown that he fit really well into their little group. It was like a piece of the puzzle that had been missing, that finally clicked.

‘Thanks Lydia,’ Liam responded, smiling, appreciating the fact that she looked out for him. ‘But we all have a place to stay like this, Mason and Corey share a room and Theo and I both have our own rooms, and he’s taking a break from his work here. He’s a writer.’ With a smile, Liam thought back on buying his book, _House on the Corner,_ that was currently sitting on his nightstand. So far it was a good book, he loved it, and Liam was already hooked on the story enough that he found himself hardly able to put it away at night.

‘Wait… Theo? You don’t mean Theo Raeken, by any chance, do you?’ Lydia asked in his ear, suddenly much more curious for their conversation. ‘I read his book, it was great!’

Liam let out a breath, huffing out a laugh as he threw his head back and closed his eyes for a moment. ‘Yes. That’s the one. And you’re like, the fourth person that has asked that.’

‘I wouldn’t be surprised,’ Lydia answered casually, and Liam snickered, happy and his heart warming at the lighter direction their talk had gone into. He could picture Lydia sitting in her seat, leaning back in her chair relaxed. ‘Guy’s gotten some amazing reviews in the newspaper when it came out. Everyone’s anticipated for his next book.’

At that, Liam swallowed, feeling his heart ache thinking back on how he’d found Theo with an empty Word-document the first night he’d called him down for dinner. Since then he hadn’t seen Theo put a single word on paper, and suddenly he understood why Theo seemed so tense all the time, why’d been reluctant, why he needed this break. His job must’ve been stressful, and it must’ve kept him under pressure. Liam’s heart went out to him, wishing he could and take some of that away, in whatever way he could.

‘Can they wait a little bit longer?’ he asked with a humorless chuckle. ‘I think it’s still a work in progress.’ He bit his lip, staying silent for a moment, before the realization what he’d just said hit him, hard, washing over him and making him jerk up, shock hitting him. ‘Oh! But don’t tell anyone I’ve said that!’ he exclaimed, his cheeks burning.

On the other end of the line, Lydia laughed. ‘Don’t worry about it, I got that,’ she chuckled, and Liam laughed along with her, reassured, his chest warm at the casual moment and his cheeks hot. He knew that she wouldn’t. Lydia and her ethics were impeccable when it came to that sort of thing. ‘Okay.’

Only after they had stopped their laughing, found their voices and caught their breath again, did Lydia speak up again. ‘That’s good to know that it’s going well, though, Liam. Take care, it’s a bit better knowing who’s staying with you, thanks for telling me,’ and Liam smiled, nodding even though she couldn’t see it, as he could understand her concern, and his chest warmed. He was glad he had told her too. ‘And keep sending those photos! They’re looking great so far!’

‘Yeah, yeah, from the outside of the house,’ Liam responded, repeating Lydia’s words from earlier, laughing.

‘Exactly!’ Lydia grinned. ‘Well, if it’s going well… Or you could still have questions for me of course.’

Liam stayed silent for a moment, considering it. ‘No. I don’t think so.’

‘Okay,’ Lydia concluded. ‘Well, then, I think we’ll still be hearing from each other?’

Liam agreed, nodding. ‘I think so.’

‘Okay,’ Lydia chuckled, satisfied. ‘Great. Keep doing what you do Liam, it’s going great. And don’t forget to hold a little vacation for yourself as well.’

‘Thanks,’ Liam smiled, a warm feeling spreading across his chest at Lydia thinking about what he needed as well, she always seemed to know that about people, even from a distance, and he couldn’t help but think about how lucky he was to have her as a boss. He really had needed this getaway, and she cared.

With that, they hung up the phone, and Liam sighed, dropping his hands by his sides falling down on the bed. Tiredly, he rubbed his hand over his face, closing his eyes for a moment, and his thoughts wandered off to Theo. With an aching, guilty feeling in his chest, he hoped the other man wouldn’t mind him telling his boss about staying with him, and accidentally dropping the news of the progress on his second book.

*****

Theo grimaced, staring at the screen of his phone with a pained look on his face, the name still printed on the screen brightly in bold black letters and the memory of when it had flashed across it still fresh in his mind. Having pressed away the call, and an aching feeling of guilt and anger at his best friend for still not having learnt to stop calling him swirling in his chest, at seeing Josh’ name across the screen.

Why couldn’t he just stop calling him? Why couldn’t he ever just learn?

Theo let out a quiet groan, a sigh spilling past his lips as he rolled over on his back with a thump, his phone held up above his face right as it started ringing again. Theo groaned, startled by the sudden sound of the ringing and Josh’ name flashing across the screen again, holding onto his phone, before he pressed _decline_ again. A hollow feeling was left in his chest after it.

He hadn’t spoken his best friend, Josh, in weeks. That wasn’t for lack of trying on his part, Josh was persistent, and determined, and insistent for them to speak and talk about it, and a part of Theo was grateful. He hadn’t been exactly sure when they’d stopped talking, when he’d avoided people who had previously cared for him and he couldn’t see himself without in the future, but one day, it had all just become too much for him, and he’d hidden himself away. They hadn’t spoken in weeks. He’d hidden himself away, kept himself him away from people in his house and avoided contact, and then he’d left and gone away to Beacon Hills. And another part of Theo, a bigger part, was bitter at all that’d happened, and though he knew it was wrong, and he shouldn’t give the people that cared for him a hard time for it, he didn’t have anyone else to do that to.

If Josh were here, if he could see him right now, he would yell at him, he would not stand for this, he would tell him to get off from the bed and keep trying. Theo almost smiled at the thought, the corner of his lips quirking up just ever so slightly, hearing Josh’ voice in his head.

But Josh was not here, and Theo let the hollow feeling in his chest grow, just for right now, just for a moment before he had to get up and be alright again, and he stayed there, kept lying there as his phone, next to his head on the bed, started ringing again. And a sigh escaped Theo, his eyes closed for just a moment. 

*****

‘Hey. Was that Lydia on the phone?’

Liam looked up, to find Mason standing in the doorway, lingering and leaning against the doorframe, with his hands in his pockets and his face questioning.

Liam sighed, looking down at the phone clutched in his hands before glancing back up at Mason. ‘Yeah,’ he uttered as his best friend made his way into the room, flopping down on the bed next to him against the headboard, shuffling closer to Liam and bumping their shoulders together friendly. ‘What did she say? What did she ask about, inform you that all pictures had to be suggested by her and had to have her stamp of approval on them? Was it so bad that you had to hide in here to keep us from you hearing screaming?’

The mood was light, though there were things that Liam wanted to say and discuss, happy that Mason was here, and Liam laughed, bumping his shoulder back against Mason’s snorting. ‘You know it,’ he chuckled. ‘She told me what to take pictures of again, but that’s Lydia for you,’ he chuckled, thinking fondly of the girl hovering by the line between friend and boss.

‘Lydia and her high standards, right,’ Mason chuckled, pushing Liam against his shoulder.

‘Yeah,’ Liam laughed, looking over at Mason catching his gaze. ‘But that’s what makes her a good boss,’ he stated matter-of-factly.

Mason nodded, and a silence fell between them. It stayed silent for a moment, during which Liam could feel the atmosphere shift from joking to serious and he sucked in a breath, lowering his eyes looking down to inspect his hands in his lap.

Something heavy pressed on his chest, something that had been bothering him and nagging in the back of his mind for quite a while now and he didn’t quite know how to say, even if he hadn’t really known that it did. Mason seemingly caught onto the change as well and cleared his throat, coughing and catching Liam’s attention, making him look up as he had a questioning, pensive look on his face. ‘It’s going alright, though, right? The pictures? You can say it to me if there’s something else that’s bothering you,’ he offered, and Liam let out a breath, knowing and having a warm feeling flood through his chest at how lucky he was to have a best friend who knew him so well he always seemed to know something was bothering him without having to say anything, and sometimes even before Liam knew it himself. 

Liam sighed, leaving his hands to rest in his lap with his phone still clutching in their hold, looking up and meeting Mason’s gaze. ‘I told her about Theo. Our roommate situation.’

It stayed silent for a moment, and Liam looked over at Mason as he took in the words. A small, bright smile started on his face, growing wider smirking. ‘Theo?’ he teased, chuckling, wiggling his eyebrows.

‘Yes! About the fact we’re rooming together, and the double-booking situation.’

Mason looked at him grinning, and Liam frowned, getting the feeling that he was missing something and he wasn’t putting two and two together. ‘And you didn’t wanna tell her anything else about him?’

Liam squirmed, and incredulously, he shot Mason a look. ‘Like what? What should I have?’

Mason sighed, a breath spilling past his lips and he lowered his eyes, looking down at his lap where he fidgeted with his hands before he looked back up again and met Liam’s questioning gaze. ‘I don’t know, Li. Like how you’re trying desperately hard to get close to him?’

Liam stared at his best friend long, holding his gaze, hard, before giving up and giving in, his resolve crumbling like dust. He looked down, to where he fumbled with his hands. ‘No, I did not tell her about that. Which, frankly, I’m not even sure is true. All Theo and I do is trying to make this situation into a livable one. And I just explained the double-booking situation to her, how we ended up staying one night and the leasing office was closed, and she expressed her concern about that decision of course, but when I mentioned his name she knew who he was.’

Next to him, he heard Mason sigh quietly, his wide grin from when he was joking having mellowed down into a soft smile, as he sensed the more serious mood, Liam’s inner turmoil, for which Liam was really grateful. He knew what Mason was thinking, saw what he was silently asking written over his face. ‘I just… Don’t like seeing him on his own. Theo’s so… Private and introverted, I don’t like seeing him without friends. There’s something going on, like something’s troubling him, but he doesn’t want to tell me what. I was worried,’ he concluded mumbling, fidgeting with his hands in his lap.

‘Well…’ Mason started next to him, quietly. ‘He has friends, he has us now. And probably friends at home that we don’t know. But Li, about the other thing that I said, about something you could’ve told Lydia, you should know that that’s okay.’

‘What do you mean?’ Liam looked up resolutely, staring Mason down, looking at him hard as if he knew something Liam didn’t, and he wanted to know what. ‘What’s okay?’ he asked demandingly, wanting to know more. 

Mason smiled. ‘It’s okay if you want to be friends with Theo. To move on from Brett. It’s okay if you like Theo.’

Something clicked inside Liam, his eyes blown wide, his mouth hanging open, as he scrambled to register Mason’s words and catch up with them, as he understood what that meant. He met Mason’s gaze swallowing away the lump in his throat, before his brain started working again, and he gave an answer. ‘I do not like Theo… Like that.’

It stayed silent between them for a while, Mason holding his gaze, understandingly and sincerely, considering him, before he nodded. ‘Okay. That’s okay. All I’m saying, is that it’s alright if you do.’

Liam stayed silent, processing it considering Mason, but seeing nothing other than acceptance in his eyes, and he sighed, nodding.

They were interrupted by footsteps approaching, their heads turned towards the door, and Corey appearing in the doorway. His eyes lit up at spotting them, a smile starting on his face. ‘Ah. Here you guys are! Are you coming soon? Theo’s asking if we’re going out to eat.’

‘Sounds good!’ Liam responded brightly as Mason shot his boyfriend a grin, welcoming the lighter mood again. ‘We’ll be there in a sec.’

‘Okay,’ Corey nodded, shooting them a smile before turning, and walking away again. Liam waited until his footsteps had faded, walking down the hallway, before he turned to Mason.

‘That’s a great idea, I’m starving,’ Liam declared, looking over at Mason with his expression turning more serious, a soft smile playing at his lips, a warm feeling in his chest and feeling as if a weight was lifted off his shoulders, already moving to slide off the bed. ‘Thanks Mase. I love you.’

‘Of course you are, that doesn’t surprise me. When aren’t you after all?’ Mason joked back, before a calmer look settled in his eyes and he followed Liam’s lead, bumping their shoulders before climbing off the bed as well. ‘And it’s no problem. Love you too, buddy.’

*****

‘So, cookies. What do we need!?’

Mason stood by the kitchen counter, clapping his hands enthusiastically, and Liam and Corey gathered closer.

‘I’ve got the ingredients ready here already!’ Corey said, gesturing towards the kitchen counter where all their necessities were spread out in a row next to each other, in order of which they would need them. The printed recipe lay already on the small breakfast bar, it didn’t look too complicated, and Liam knew that Mason, with all his excitement and cooking skills, would lead their little group into baking the best possible cookies they had ever seen during their Christmas celebrations. He grinned, excitedly, rubbing his hands together and eager to start. They hadn’t baked cookies together in a while and it always turned to be fun. And with Mason’s cooking skills, they always had some amazing delicious cookies in the end to make up for the giant mess they’d make.

From the corner of his eye, he caught Theo wandering, lingering on the outskirts of their little group, looking grim, a dark cloud hanging over him, and Liam frowned, his heart strangely aching at seeing Theo like that. Like how he did when they first met. Liam didn’t understand. Over the past few days, Theo had shown more, like yesterday when he had seemed so happy to be included, and he seemed to have grown happier, his eyes lighter and a smile that’d begun to be less rare to his lips. Now he seemed to have retreated further back into the shadows again, and Liam didn’t understand.

He sighed, tearing his pensive gaze away shaking his head, a resolute idea starting and growing in his head, a smirk at the thought of it twitching at his mouth. _Theo, Theo, Theo,_ he thought. _What is it that’s going on with you?_

Liam wished he knew. It saddened him to know that something was troubling Theo so much, made something weirdly sharp sting in his chest that he couldn’t recognize. But since he didn’t, and he doubted Theo was gonna tell him soon, the man was already so private and it had become clear he had trouble letting people in, he simply settled for a different tactic for now. Something else, that would surely work, and would take Theo’s mind off whatever was troubling him and put that smile back on his face, even if only for a minute.

‘Theo?’ he asked, pulling on the other man’s sleeve, clearly startling him from his thoughts if the way he jumped and looked at him with darkened eyes was anything to go by. Liam smiled, friendly as he could, to be inviting to Theo and welcome him in their little group activity. ‘Would you rather make the cookie dough, or the topping later?’

‘I’m fine with whatever,’ Theo mumbled in response, looking hidden where he was huddled away in his dark hoodie, and Liam kept his smile on.

‘Okay! Topping it is! I’m always a big fan of that,’ he cheered, and Mason couldn’t resist the comment behind him.

‘At least that way be rest assured that Liam can’t ruin the cookies and they’ll actually taste good!’ he called over to Theo, joking, and Liam snorted, flipping his best friend off before turning back.

He would hope that Mason and Corey would remember a little more that they weren’t alone in the kitchen, and that it would give them a little space away from each other so that he could talk with Theo a little better. The need to hear that he was _going_ to be okay, at least, was too great.

‘Okay, come on!’ he called, pulling Theo with him at his sleeve. ‘Toppings ingredients are over here, and that’s what makes the cookie of course!’

‘And also of course that’s what we make Liam believe, to keep him busy!’ Mason called over his shoulder, and Liam stuck out his tongue responding to Mason’s joke, before he noticed that Theo still stood next to him, and he didn’t seem to be in the right mood for the light talking and laughing right then, his face blank, almost unimpressed.

Liam cleared his throat, turning back towards the counter. ‘So, uhm, what’d you want to start with?’ he asked, unsure, softer now, that his joking with Mason had ended and he wasn’t quite sure how to talk to this version of Theo, that he hadn’t been in a few days. He certainly didn’t want to do anything to step on his toes.

‘Wouldn’t it be easier to wait with this until after the cookies are done?’ Theo asked blankly, his hands squeezed together in the large front pocket of his hoodie.

‘Uhm, yeah, technically,’ Liam let out a laugh, looking over at him smiling. ‘But do you really wanna wait around and sit here, doing nothing, until they’re done?’

Theo looked back over at him, a dark look in his eyes that had something worried swirl uncomfortably in Liam’s stomach, contemplating seeming to think about it, before he sighed and nodded, turning towards the counter. ‘The red fondant, will do.’

‘Sure!’ A bright smile lit up Liam’s face as he turned towards it, unwrapping it and looking at the recipe for the options, discussing other decorations with Theo. While Liam really liked the green glaze and silver sprinkles, Theo seemed to be more into the white icing to put on top of the cookies.

They worked in silence, Christmas music playing softly in the background and getting their things ready for when the cookies were done, too close together, their hands close to brushing sometimes when they reached for the same thing, and though Liam’s cheeks were on fire, his heart beating fast inside his chest, he couldn’t help but notice the grim mood Theo gave off next to him, the unhappy atmosphere hanging around him like a fog and making Liam’s heart ache, threatening to take Liam down with him in his pensive spiral if he didn’t cheer up and Liam didn’t do something soon.

‘Hey.’ Quickly Liam looked over his shoulder, asking quietly and checking to see if no one was listening to them, before turning back to Theo, touching his hand quickly and briefly. ‘You okay?’ he asked, hushed, and Theo’s head snapped towards him, at the words, at the touch.

Theo stared over at him, his eyes never less dark, considering him for a moment trying to search for a lie, when he shook his head and looked down again, and a pang of hurt spread across Liam’s chest. ‘Just let it go Liam.’

The words were uttered, quiet and hoarse and sounding hopeless enough for Liam to have almost missed them, if he wasn’t straining his ears listening for an answer already, and if he thought he had felt for Theo before, the need to help him strong, it was now worse, and so much more powerful still.

He glanced in Theo’s direction, sadly, the other boy’s fingers fidgeting with the fondant frantically. ‘As long as you know that we’re in this house together. And we do things together too,’ Liam offered quietly, hushed, shooting a look over his shoulder to check if Mason and Corey weren’t listening in.

Theo looked up, looking back over and catching Liam’s gaze. Liam stood still, smiling softly hoping that if he did that enough he wouldn’t scare Theo into looking away again, holding his breath. And he could see something in Theo’s eyes, something lighter, something grateful for saying those words, something even faintly happy for being included, again, and not given up on being included. Liam smiled, nodding firmly, before he went back to picking his decorations as well.

*****

Half an hour later, and the mood had completely changed. The loud Christmas music had been turned up, now blaring through the kitchen, only drowned by their even louder voices and laughter as they shouted and laughed over each other. The mess in the kitchen was real and big, flour everywhere, and they had thrown flour at each other, Liam could see Mason still had some on his head where Corey had hit him. And if he squinted, looked closely, he could see Corey had a bit of the cookie dough stuck to his cheek.

As the delicious smell of the cookies in the oven filled the kitchen, the adrenaline rushed through Liam’s veins, feeling a little too happy, smiling a little too widely in a way that made his cheeks hurt, blind happy that he was able to be here with the people he cared about. It was alive, lively, buzzing, warm with the heat coming from the oven, and Liam wouldn’t trade it for anything else, even Theo on the outskirts of their group had started to look a little bit more like himself again.

‘You could’ve said Mason looks like the abominable snowman like that!’ Corey shouted, where his boyfriend wiped a smudge of flour of his face.

‘Yeah, and who’s fault is that!?’ Mason shot back, shaking his arm and shaking off the flour from his fingertips.

‘Not mine! You’ve brought it upon yourself that you decided to be funny and fool around with the sprinkles!’

Liam snickered, his shoulders shaking, and from the corner of his eye he caught Theo stepping up beside him, his head snapping over at him offering him a soft smile. Theo had his shoulders relaxed, the dark cloud around him before turned sunnier and he looked more like himself again, soft crinkles of amusement around his eyes, and Liam’s heart stuttered.

‘They certainly know how to be entertaining,’ Theo spoke, and Liam couldn’t help the snort that spilled past his lips, clasping his hand over his mouth with shock.

‘Did you just insult my friends? Would you like some cookie dough on your face for that as well?’

‘You wouldn’t dare.’

‘I mean, I could try.’ Liam didn’t know why he was saying it, messing with Theo, but he felt happy to see that Theo was looking more relaxed again, lighter, the thing that had been troubling him before, whatever it was, leaving him alone a little bit more again.

‘Like I said, you wouldn’t dare,’ Theo simply responded, and stole a little ball of the cookie dough Mason had left over, made too much when he got the cookies ready. Liam smiled widely, his heart warming, walking over to where Mason, Corey and Theo already stood, waiting, for the cookies to be done.

The cookies left a delicious, sweet smell around the kitchen, prickling in Liam’s nose and making his mouth water, Mason laughing at him as his stomach rumbled in response to it.

They decorated at the table, taking the tray with cookies to the dinner table along with the decorations they had picked out, and put them down again before they sat down at the table. Liam took his seat at the end, eyeing the decorations before catching his friends’ gazes curiously, smirking.

‘What are we gonna do?’

‘I’m gonna make the snowmen!’ Corey stated brightly, reaching for the white glaze, as Mason shot him a grin and declared: ‘I’m gonna make some Christmas trees,’ grabbing the tree shaped cookies.

Liam looked around the table, a happy feeling that they were able to do this just as at home filling his chest, soft music playing in the background, and he looked over at Theo.

‘Simple stars will do,’ the man mumbled, grabbing the sprinkles pulling them closer, and Liam snickered.

‘You should put the gold sprinkle on it,’ and he decided to concern himself with the reindeer cookies then, if all the different shaped cookies had ended up with his friends already.

‘How do you have good ideas constantly?’ Theo muttered, soft almost inaudible and clearly not having meant for Liam to have heard it, but he did anyway, as he had strained his ears for an answer already.

A warm feeling blossomed in his chest, making him feel light, a smile at his lips.

With that, the soft music playing in the background, the comfortable silence and the quiet buzzing of their voices whenever they spoke up to ask to borrow an ingredient from someone else, he got to work. Concentratedly, his eyes narrowed, he put his stuff on it, everything went onto it, from glaze to sprinkles to a little extra chocolate chips and mini marshmallows. Of course, Mason couldn’t resist making his comment of how his cookies like its edible monstrosities like they did every year, and Liam rolled his eyes jokingly. They loved it. And next to him, Theo’s cookies looked like an absolute professional had made them, shiny and sparkly and with even sprinkle everywhere, given how organized and neat he already knew Theo was, he wasn’t surprised. They looked delicious, and Liam couldn’t wait to taste them.

As they worked, though, the cookies getting more and more colorful and ready, like how it was habitual for them every year when they decorated, so did the mess well, growing and expanding out over the table, covered in pink, gold and green sprinkles everywhere, fondant and icing making sticky spots on the wood and cookie crumbs lying all over the table.

Corey couldn’t help but look at it, and be unable to stifle a groan. ‘Damn,’ he muttered grudgingly. ‘Can’t wait to have to clean that up!’

‘Oh come on, you know it won’t be that bad. It’s part of the great cooking experience,’ Mason called and with that, he threw a couple cookie crumbs at Corey, rekindling their food fight from before, from the baking itself, and giggling after it as he did.

‘You wanna say that again!?’ Corey called, laughing, countering and defending himself, shooting a piece of cookie crumb back at Mason. Mason snickered, swatting it away easily.

‘Oh, here they go again…’ Theo muttered next to Liam, underneath his breath, and Liam would’ve missed it if he wasn’t already listening for any input from the other man. Instead, he just grinned at him, smirking, and took the opportunity he had.

‘Did you just complain?’ he joked, grabbing a small handful of pink sprinkles and throwing it at Theo, bursting out in laughter as he saw where it stuck to Theo’s sweater.

With open mouth, almost offended, in shock and not having expected that, Theo stared at Liam with his eyes blown wide, to his sweater, and back at Liam, before a more determined, challenging look settled in his eyes. Giddily, snickering, Liam braced himself for what was to come.

‘Bold of you to assume that I would just let that go over, and not do anything to get back at you,’ Theo said then, much to Liam’s surprise, he hadn’t expected Theo to actually play along after how reserved he had been for the entirety of their vacation so far, and how grown-up and mature he had wanted to make himself seem, but before Liam knew it, he was covered in sparkly, glittery green sprinkles, sticking to him like glue. And Theo let out a snort, clasping his hand over his mouth as he couldn’t believe he had let that spill out, he hadn’t meant to, surprised at his act as he had loosened up so suddenly and at Liam’s dumbfounded face, and Liam stared over at him, feeling the same surprise that was showing in Theo’s eyes swirling inside of him, before he narrowed his eyes at him, and flipped him off.

‘You’re going to regret that,’ he stated, carefully pronouncing each word, clearly, something fluttering in his chest warmly and appreciative of the fact that Theo was playing along instead of being a killjoy and putting a brake on the fun.

Of course, the food fight couldn’t be held back and stopped after that. Of course, the sprinkles and the chocolate chips went flying over the table after that, throwing it at each other yelling and laughing, _‘You’re gonna get this, you had it coming!’_ until they were all covered in it, green or pink colored stuff, until the cookies were done, right up until it was time to clean up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! :)  
> Let me know what you think, comments make my day! :)

**Author's Note:**

> Tell me what you think! Comments make my day! :)


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